The Journey To Love:Friendship, Comfort, Endurance
by sissouthernink1994
Summary: Orginal Branch. The Journey To Love is filled with twists and turns, bad directions, and even worst weather conditions. But the reward is worth the journey. Rating will change to M soon. Please search accordingly.
1. Intro

The Journey to Love can be a fun and enlightening one. It's one filled with plenty of turns and detours. Road signs are misinterpreted, if seen at all. Road maps are useless. No one knows the exact directions nor can anyone give advice on how to get there. No one knows exactly how it looks because everyone arrives at a different destination at different times. You'll just know when you arrive. But who's to say the travel plans won't change once you get there? Remain open to the journey. Sometimes it's the best part of the trip.

**A/N:** This multi-chapter story is about Jesse Cardoza/OC. Volume 1 has combinations of Eric/Calleigh, Eric/OC, and Calleigh/OC. It's rated K right now, T and M for later chapters. It will also branch off to other journeys (volumes). Please read and review. All types of reviews are welcome! 8)

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any characters from CSI: Miami (dead or alive). I do however own Telia C. James, all characters connected to her life and the characters in the Chow Down Grill and Café. I also own miscellaneous characters throughout.


	2. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any characters from CSI: Miami (dead or alive). I do however own Telia C. James, all characters connected to her life and the characters in the Chow Down Grill and Café. I also own miscellaneous characters throughout. This is my first entry. Reviews Welcome! 8)

Prologue

Jesse walked down the hall to the office of Horatio Caine. "Hey H, you got a minute?"

"Sure Jesse. Come on in." Jesse had him a request form. "What's this for?"

"I need a few bereavement days. I had a great-uncle to pass a few weeks ago but I couldn't attend the funeral because I was testifying in the Poston murder case. But they are reading the will this weekend and apparently he left something for me and Tracy in his will. He never changed it after she died."

"I'm sorry to hear about your great-uncle. I have no problem with the bereavement leave. So what did he leave to you?"

"I'm hearing it might be some property. I'll have to see when I get there." Horatio's phone rings. Jesse waits patiently as he answers. He needs his boss's advice on something else.

"Anything else I can do for you Jesse?" he asked, hanging up.

"Actually, there is." H motioned for him to have a seat. "I just had a few questions."

"Well, I hope I have answers for you."

"When Marisol died, how long was it before you felt like you could go out on a date again?" The red-haired man sighed and thought.

"It was close to a year. Even though we weren't married a long time, Marisol had a deep place in my heart. It doesn't matter how long a couple is together; it's the impact of the relationship. When it's deep, it takes a while. And even at the one year, I couldn't handle a full date."

"Did you or do you ever feel like you're cheating on her memory? Or like you needed her permission to move on?"

"No, not really. I just had to make sure I was ready. There is no set amount of time to mourn someone. Like I said, it's the impact of the relationship." Jesse nodded and thought for a second.

"How long after did you wear your wedding ring?"

H chuckled. "Oh, for a while. It reminded me of her. Like she was always with me. But I had to come to the realization that I didn't need the ring to remind me of that. She's always in my heart." He looked at Jesse's hand. "I've never seen you wear yours."

"No, not anymore." Jesse's thumb immediately touched his left ring finger where the ring would have been. "It's almost been three years. And I still miss her. Think about her."

"Oh I think of Marisol everyday. I wonder what she would be doing, what our child would be doing, what he or she would look like. That never goes away." A voice came over the speakerphone and said that H was needed in interrogation. As he stood to leave, he left Jesse with the following words. "The main thing to remember is the memories you shared. You are the legacy for those. You can move on and you will, when it's time. And only you can truly know that." Jesse stood and followed H out of his office.

"Ok. Gives me something to think about on the plane ride to L.A. Thanks, H".

"No problem. Have a safe trip and let me know what comes to mind when you come back."

"Will do H." And they parted ways.

* * *

All during his plane ride, Jesse asked himself if he thought he was holding on to the past. He knew life went on and he knew eventually he would have to find a new love. What was he so afraid of? Ruining his memory of Tracy, their memories together? _"You are the legacy of those"_ H's voice echoed in his head. He's fairly handsome, or so he thought. He lived in a city of beautiful women and beautiful places to meet them. What was he waiting for? Permission? From a dead woman? He shook his head at the strange question. As the plane landed, he couldn't help but to think it was true.

As he appeared in the lobby of the airport, he saw his cousin Lilly waving at him. She was his great uncle's daughter.

"Hi Jesse."

"Hey Lilly" he replied hugging her. "How are you"?"

"Much better now that I've seen you. I'm sorry you couldn't make the funeral."  
"Me too. I was the key CSI in a murder case and I had to testify. Four days of testimony. It was grueling."

"I bet. Have you got luggage in baggage claim?"

"Nope, just this carry on." She eyed her cousin.

"Have you been eating? You look a little slim." Jesse laughed.

"Yea, I eat everyday."

"I don't believe you." She said as they were headed out of LAX to her car.

The next day Jesse felt uncomfortable sitting in the lawyer's office. He wasn't sure why, just did. Maybe it was because what he had inherited was for he and Tracy, and she wasn't here to accept it with him. But Uncle Dan knew that; he was at the funeral. He wondered why he decided not to change his will. A question for the lawyer. The family was finally all there and seated. The lawyer began reading the will. There were tears flowing from some family members. Jesse wondered if he was because they didn't receive anything or were they really still mourning Uncle Dan. Then he got to him and Tracy.

"And lastly to my great-nephew Jesse and his wife Tracy I leave the property located at 9367 Picker, Los Angeles, CA. This includes the land, the house and everything in it. With the hopes you will move in and start a family." _Wow_, Jesse thought, _a house_.

"I live in Miami now. What am I gonna do with a house in L.A.?"

"We'll take you over to see it." Lilly said. "I'd forgotten about that property." They left the office and went straight to the house. Jesse was a bit overwhelmed. Tracy would have loved it.

"Uncle Dan was at her funeral. Why didn't he change the will?" The lawyer didn't have an answer for him.

"I guess he didn't think anything needed changing." The attorney replied. Jesse sighed.

"Well, what are my options? I just moved back to Miami and I don't know when I could get back here to even use the house. "

"Well, you could rent it out. I could have you establish some way for the tenants to pay the rent. Easier way would be to sell it. Let's take a look inside and see if there is anything you want to ship to Florida, but there is a lot of great furniture here." So they all went inside. Jesse was shocked. Some of the furniture looked antique, some brand-new. There were awesome artworks all over the house- paintings, sculptures, statues. Stainless steel kitchen, wooden floors through the whole house.

"Could I sell it in this economy? I mean we're talking at least $100,000. "

"More like $500,000."  
This house is half a million?" he replied, shocked.

"With furniture, hot tub, pool, and the movie theatre. Yes."

"Wow there's no way I could sell all at once."

"And there is more furniture in the basement storage."

"You gotta be kidding me."

"Jesse, I have a friend who's a realtor." Lilly said. "I can see if he's available to come and take a look. He may have an interested buyer." She took out her cell phone and called her friend. "He's actually a few blocks over, just finished showing a house. He's on his way."

"Good. Let's check out this other furniture while we wait." He and the lawyer proceeded to the storage basement and to see what was there. "I like this stuff. How much to move this to Miami?"

"We can find out. You would hire some cross country movers."

"I'm not sure I want all the artwork. Is any of it worth selling?"

"Some yea. I can get an art appraiser out here, maybe today."

"Yea, let's do that. I only have a few days here in L.A. and I want to get as much done as I can." The lawyer stepped away to call the art appraiser. Meanwhile, Lilly's friend arrived. Jesse went upstairs to meet him.

"Mr. Cardoza, I'm Glenn Upshaw from Nelson Realtors." They shook hands.

"What can you tell me about selling this house? I live in Miami now and my wife died a few years ago so I don't really need the house."

"I know three couples right now that would get in a bidding war over this house." He was looking at his laptop. His office e-mailed some neighborhood specs. "Most houses on this street are selling for $700,000 and up. The one across the street $850,000."

"So if I listed with you what would you suggest for a selling price?"

"I wouldn't start below $650,000." Jesse thought, _I have a lawyer here and a realtor…_

"Well, I have a lawyer here and you. Let's get this ball rolling." They proceeded to the dining room to talk business. And while there, Jesse found a reputable moving company to move the basement furniture to Miami. After a few hours, Jesse had the house listed with a Glenn. He was showing the house to three couples the next afternoon. The movers and the art appraiser were both coming the next morning. The movers said it would be a four-day trip. Even with leaving the same day, they packed up everything. If the appraiser thought he could sell the art, he would take it with him so the potential buyers wouldn't see it and be disappointed that it would be in the house when they moved in. It had been a long day and tomorrow would be even longer. On the way back to Lilly's she told him how proud she was on him.

"Not many people could do what you did today, in one day."

"It's not like I don't appreciate was Uncle Dan left me, but I can't really use it as it. So why not let someone else? Hmm…" he thought.

"What?"

"Maybe that's why he didn't change the will. He knew I would do what I needed to do."

That night as his head hit the pillow, he was thankful for his uncle's life and what he left for him and Tracy. He was thankful that he could give someone else a chance to own a home.

* * *

The next morning after breakfast, he met the appraisers and movers. To his surprise, the art appraiser wanted all of the paintings, sculptures and statues. There was an auction coming up in a month and he felt confidant all the pieces would sell. So Jesse added Lilly to the contract with the appraiser and lawyer to make he check he received was for what the pieces sold for. As the art prices were moving out, the movers were moving in. It took them two hours to get all the basement furniture loaded and they were headed toward Miami.

"Well, we have sometime between the showings this afternoon. What do you want to do?" Lilly's husband asked.

"I need to visit Tracy." So off they were to the cemetery. Jesse hadn't been back in over two years. He remembered where her headstone was. He walked up, nervously. He wasn't sure why. He placed the flowers he bought, on front of the stone. The purple pansies, which were her favorite, brought back memories of their wedding day. She was so beautiful. The scent of purple pansies was everywhere that day as the sun enhanced the scent of the flowers. Jesse began to tear up as he knelt in front of her headstone.

"Hey Tracy. I know it's been a while since I've been here. Not because I don't want to see you. I've been busy. I'm in Miami now. But I guess you can see that from Heaven. I rejoined the CSI team there and things are good. There are a few new members, but we all get along well. I guess you know Uncle Dan died. He left us a house full of furniture. But since I don't get to west coast much, I'm going to sell. You would have loved it. It's a beautiful house. But I think someone else needs a chance to get a house. I'm selling the art pieces at an auction. I don't know what I'll do with all the money. I can send some to your favorite charity. Yeah, that'd be good. I've been trying to go to church more. I know you'd want that for me. Not sure I understand God any better, but I go. Maybe it'll kick in one day." He smiled. More memories of their wedding day. Them holding hands, saying their vows _"…'til death do us part…"_ Her smile, their first kiss as husband and wife. He remembered how he felt to be her husband. "I've been wondering, if it's ok for me to start seeing someone else. I don't have anyone in mind. But I'm lonely. I miss you and I know you can't come back and I know no one can replace you. I guess I feel like I'm asking permission. I feel like I'm cheating on you, on us. Our memories. What do you think? If only you could give me, some sign that you're ok with it. I know I sound so silly. I can't even explain why I need to know it's ok with you. I just can't. I just need to know that it is. I love and I could never stop. But I feel like I need someone in my life or to be open to having someone there for me." There. He said it. It was out and up to God's ears. He was ready for someone to come into his life. Lilly came up to him.

"Jesse, I don't want to disturb you but Glenn has the offers ready for you to look at if you ready. He's going to meet us at Moreno's to eat and you can go over them." He looked at Tracy's grave once more.

"Ok. I said what I needed to say. I'm ready."

At dinner, he looked over the offers and chose the $715,000 one. One less thing tying him to L.A. The next day, they signed the papers and the keys were handed over. He went to the Art House to see how things were shaping up for the auction. The items were on pre-display, for website purposes. They found hangtag info quickly. So far, he was pleased. As they were leaving, an eclectic woman came up to him.

"Excuse me sir." Jesse turned around.

"Me?"

"Yes. I have a message for you. I'm a medium and when the spirits come through I have to speak to whoever it is right away." He looked at her suspiciously. "I just happened to be here volunteering. Don't listen to me, listen to the message. There's an older gentleman that says good job with the house. He knew you could do it. And there's a young lady showing me a golden ring, like a wedding band. She says thanks for the flowers and it's ok. You don't need her permission." Jesse looked shocked. How could she have known? He did ask Tracy for a sign. Maybe she really did hear him. He smiled.

"Thank you. I needed that." He felt relieved and revived.

"I'm glad I could pass it on." And she walked away.

* * *

"Lily thanks for helping me out these past few days."

"Oh it was nothing. I'm glad you got everything taken care of. And I'm actually looking forward to the art auction. Never been to one. Glenn said the check should be coming in a month and I'll send you the art check myself." They hugged and he went through security. Jesse go on the plane feeling as light as air, ready to face new challenges. God had answered a question for him. First time that happened. Or first time he realized it. He would be back that afternoon, his new furniture in two days, lots of money in about a month and a half. Life was going good. He was on his way back to Miami and on to his journey to love.


	3. Who's that Lady?

-click, click, click, click- hesitation, turn left

"_Am I going the right way?_" hesitation turn right, stop, "_Am I even in the right building?_" -click, click, click, click-

"Dude will you come on?" whined the voice of CSI Ryan Wolfe to one of his partners Jesse Cardoza.

"Hello Gorgeous" Jesse says.

"Aww thanks. I didn't think you were ever going to notice. I also didn't think you and I were on the same side of the fence. Not sure you're my type anyway." Ryan replied, looking at him sideways.

"Not to you idiot," shaking his head "to her." he nodded in the direction of a woman walking down the hall, who seemed to be lost. His was looking at a beautiful caramel skinned African-American woman, about 5'4, full-figured, but not too full. A pretty gold bracelet on her right arm matched the watch on the left and the earrings dangling from her ears. Her long brown hair swung across her bare shoulders as she pivoted in her blue-heeled sandals. Her beautiful full lips in soft red lipstick, brown eyes accented brilliantly by blended blue and gold eye shadow.

"Wow, Cardoza. Didn't know you had an affection for chocolate" said their partner Walter. Her sunglasses fell down on her nose as she looked at the papers she was holding. She placed them back in her hair, turned again, walking, looking for something. "Mmmm, nice hip sway".

"Really nice." Jesse agreed, eyes glued to the curves her blue and gold dress accented.

"Ok, so we've established that she's beautiful. Can you two stop drooling over her so we can get on with our jobs?" Ryan complained.

"If that was a guy you wouldn't be complaining, you'd be drooling too," Jesse said.

"If you don't like women how can you tell she's beautiful?" Walter asked.

"I never said I couldn't recognize beautiful women, I just don't want to sleep with them. And, yes, I guess if _she_ were a _he_ there could be possible drooling on my part."

"I knew it." Jesse said shaking his head "Let me see if I can help her out."

"In other words get her number," Walter laughed.

"Something like that" Jesse smiled. He approached her. "Excuse me Ms. Are you looking for something? I work here maybe I can help." Jesse flashed his smile, showing off his dimples.

"Oh, yes. I'm looking for the Permit Office, but I think I'm in the wrong building." Her voice gave him butterflies. Smooth and gentle, just as beautiful as she was.

"Yea, you are. You probably drove in the first parking lot you saw right?" She nodded.

"Yes, I did."

"No problem, I can show you where you need to go. This complex is pretty big and they never tell people the other sides of the buildings have their own lots." At the front desk, Horatio Caine approached and asked why two of his CSIs were just standing there.

"We're waiting for Romeo to help the damsel in distress get where she's going and see if she gives him her number," Walter said.

"Really?" Horatio replied. As they were leaving, Jesse heard Horatio's voice. "Gentlemen, here's the scene address. Jesse will meet you at the car."

"Sure thing H". Ryan and Walter picked up their kits and headed for the door, glancing back as Horatio headed towards Jesse and the mystery lady.

"Detective, your team needs you as soon as you're available. The scene has been secured. Good morning ma'am"

"Good morning. He was just going show me where I need to go."

"Great. Soon detective" Horatio smiled and turned to leave.

"Right away H."

"I hope I didn't get you in trouble." She replied.

"Oh no, trust me its not you. Instead of taking you, I'll just have to tell you. Go through these double doors, make a left. Then go through the next set of double doors to the elevators and I think permits have been moved to the eighth floor."

"Oh, thank you so much. Uh Detective…" she was scanning his body for his ID or a badge.

"Oh Cardoza. Detective Cardoza. But you can call me Jesse."

"Jesse. Thank you so much."

"And your name?"

"Telia James"

"Beautiful name."

"Thanks." She said blushing a bit.

"Well, Ms. James, I hope you find everything ok. Here's my card in case you ever need to find something else, like where to pay a parking ticket or maybe a cup of coffee at a coffee shop?" he was asking, smiling. She smiled back.

"Maybe." She turned to walk through the double doors. –click, click, click, click- and Jesse watched her hips sway. After she went through his phone rang, bringing him out of his trance, Horatio's voice on the other end.

"On my way H." He ran back to the front desk, scooped up his kit and headed towards the front doors. As he entered the car, Walter teased him.

"So you got the digits?"

"Not exactly. But she has my card."

"Your card?" Ryan laughed "No wonder you don't have any dates. You better hope she thought you were cute or else she'll forget about that card."

"I agree" Walter stated.

"Well, I did ask her out for coffee and I would have gotten her number if H hadn't approached".

"Yea, sure."

"I'm so sure"

"Really I would have." On to the crime scene.

* * *

After being in the field for five hours, collecting evidence the CSIs returned to the labs to begin processing their clues. "I just set up the fumer to get prints off this stuff. Probably take an hour. Who's up for lunch?" Walter asked

"Definitely me." Jesse replied, "I wish the diner across the street was still there. I could do with a huge plate of onion rings."

"Ohh, me too. But the new one they're building looks promising. Wolfe, any suggestions?"

"I'm craving a loaded baked potato from McAllister's."

"Not bad. Great sweat tea too."

"So why do southerners call it sweat tea instead of sweet iced tea?" Ryan asked. Walter and Jesse shook their heads.

"Northerners. Because it's assumed, the tea already has ice in it. And you have to specify if you don't want lemon because that's assumed too."

"Still don't get it." Ryan said. As they were leaving, Jesse's phone rang.

"Cardoza?"

"Jesse?"

"Telia?" he smiled. Walter and Ryan looked at each in shock. "Hi. I'm glad you called"

"Were you busy?"

"No, we're just heading out for lunch. Did you get everything you needed at the permit office?"

"Yes I did. Speaking of lunch. I have meetings all morning long tomorrow and I was wondering if we could make it lunch instead of coffee?"

"Lunch instead of coffee?" he said looking at the guys while mouthing –I –told-you-so "Lunch sounds good. What time?"

"Uh, probably after 1 but I can let you know when I get out of my last meeting. Any suggestions?"

"Hmm, let's see. Have you been to Danny's Bistro on Tyler Ave.?"

"No, but it sounds good."

"Great. I'll wait for your call tomorrow. And this is a good number to reach you if plans change?"

"Yes this is my cell. And you spell my name T-e-l-i-a, in case you were wondering"

"I was. So I'll see you tomorrow. And you can call me back later if you just want someone to talk to."

"I just might do that. Bye."

"Bye Telia." He hung up smiling.

"'Bye Telia"' Walter mocked, laughing with Ryan. Then Ryan teases

"'Call me if you just want someone to talk to.'"

"Laugh if you want. You didn't think she was even going to call me and now we're having lunch. Neh." He stuck his tongue out. "I'm starving. Let's go."

Hours later…

"Gentlemen, good job. Thanks for the extra hours. Now go home. Get some rest and I'll see you at 10 sharp." Horatio stated thankfully. Jesse leaned on his locker.

"I'm so tired I feel like I could crawl in here and sleep."

"Me too. I'm leaving while I have enough energy to get home. Check ya'll tomorrow." Walter yawned.

"Night." Jesse replied as he checked his Blackberry for messages. And a smile spread across his weary face.

Ryan yawned, "What are you smiling at?"

"Telia called me." He pressed the voicemail button.

"_Hi Jesse. It's Telia. Just thought I'd call and see what you're up to. But I guess maybe you're still at work? Anyway, it was great meeting you this morning and I'm looking forward to lunch tomorrow. Have a good night."_ He checked his watch. 11:28 p.m.

"Hmm, too late to call. Should I text?" Ryan shook his head.

"I'm leaving." Jesse grabbed his keys and pondered it while driving home. Sitting on his bed, he decided to text; it was nearly midnight. Maybe it wouldn't wake her and she can see it in the morning. The sound of Telia's vibrating phone on her wooden nightstand shook her out of her sleep.

"Who's texting me this time of night?" Through sleepy eyes, she picked up her phone.

**1 new msg from jcardoza 12:02 a.m.**

**hey telia sorry i missed your call worked really late hope txt is ok? sweet dreams & see you tomorrow ;)**

"Oh, how sweet." Jesse's phone buzzed as he plugged in the charger.

**1 new msg from tcjames 12:06 a.m.**

**txt is ok. figured u were work thanx 4 sweet drms same 2 u :)**

Jesse smiled and his head hit the pillow.


	4. Lunch

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any characters from CSI: Miami (dead or alive). I do however own Telia C. James, all characters connected to her life and the characters in the Chow Down Grill and Café. I also own miscellaneous characters throughout.

Chapter 2: Lunch

The day started out as calm as it could be. Nice weather, sunny not too hot, light clouds in the sky. And then there was the loud sound in the hall.

"Let me go!! You got the wrong man!" As Jesse turned around, he saw a very violent, loud and belligerent perp resisting the officers who were trying to contain him. Then the sounds of his partner in crime coming in behind him.

"I didn't do it! It was him all him!!"

"Sounds interesting." Jesse stated. Horatio walked right behind him.

"It is. And you get to interrogate." He handed Jesse the files. "It was your great skills that helped find them." Jesse handed Ryan a file as he walked past him.

"Nothing like interrogation first thing in the morning."Ryan said.

"Let's see what we have. Wow, Walter's fingerprint analysis was dead on."

"Yea. I'm impressed. He should sit in. Where is he anyway?" Ryan took out his phone and called Walter. "Hey man your fingerprint analysis was dead on. You should sit in with us. Yea, see ya in a minute." They waited for him to come downstairs.

"We've got two. You want the next one?"

"Sure, I'll take it."

They walked in like The Three Musketeers.

* * *

"So…interrogation isn't so bad. That seemed kinda easy." Walter said.

"Yea, these two were, rolling on each other. I've had plenty that haven't gone that way," replied Ryan.

"I'm heading toward the lab to see what the nightshift left. Get a head start."

"Oh yeah, that's right. You have a lunch date."

"Yes I do." Jesse replied as they entered the elevator. "I'm looking forward to it."

"I bet," chuckled Walter.

Entering the lab, they all checked out what needed to be done. Eric brought in some evidence for Ryan to look at. Jesse was assisting Calleigh in ballistics.

"These striations don't match. Ugh, I hate when that happens." He said.

"I know. Wait, this one is a match to another crime though. Not a total waste." She looked up the crime. "Hmmm. I'll let Tripp know and see if we can get some answers."

"Check this out," Jesse said, pointing to the screen. "Does this look like it's been tampered with? No wonder the striations don't match."

"I think you're right. So how do we recreate the tampering?"

"I don't think we can. It's not a vice like pliers. Looks sanded maybe? Like steel wool. Hmmm." Jesse tries to distress the bullet. "Now see what it looks like after it shoots." Calleigh reloaded the gun, shot it into the water tank, and then retrieved it.

"What do you think?" she asked.

"Maybe. Second opinion from H?"

"I think so. I'll get him." As Calleigh left the lab, Jesse walked into the hall to stretch and his phone rang. He smiled because he just knew who it was.

"Cardoza?"

"Hi Jesse."

"Hi Telia. How are you?"

"I'm wonderful and hungry. You?"

"The same. So how have your meetings been this morning?

"Ugh, long and tiring. I'm so ready to get out of here. I'm waiting for some papers to be signed at the moment. So I will meet you a little later than 1, closer to 1:30."

"I'm good with that. I'm waiting for a second opinion on something and I'll meet you there when I'm done."

"Good. See ya later."

"You too."

"Well, you're all smiles," Calleigh commented as she and H approached the lab.

"Lunch date confirmation. Heading out when we get done."

"The young lady you met yesterday morning?" Jesse nodded. "Well, let's see what you have." Horatio checked their evidence. "I think steel wool did distress this bullet. Did you get any prints?"

"Walter got a partial, no hit yet."

"Well, let's find something else in case there isn't a hit."

"I'll work on it when I get back." Jesse said.

"How about I start it?"

"Thanks Cal."

"Enjoy lunch." H said.

"Oh, I plan to." He smiled.

* * *

Upon arriving at Danny's Bistro, Jesse wondered what kind of car Telia drove. He quickly scanned the parking lot and didn't see her. _Maybe she's inside already._ He found a parking space and parked his Envoy. _I think she'll like this place. It's a nice place to talk and get to know someone._ He walked in and the awesome smell of fresh bread hit is nose.

"Welcome to Danny's Bistro. Table for one?"

"Actually I'm meeting someone. I don't know if she's here yet."

"You're welcome to look around." He peeked in the dining area but didn't see her.

"I don't see her yet," he said turning around. As he did he saw her walking across the parking lot. "Oh, there she is." He ran to the door to open it for her. Again, he thought she was dressed beautifully. _Blue must be her color,_ he thought as she made her way to the building. She was wearing a blue blouse with a beige wrap around skirt, with the same blue-heeled sandals.

"Hi Jesse. Thank you."

"Good afternoon, Telia." Together they walk to the hostess. "Table for two please."

"Right this way." They followed her to a table by the window, out of the mid-day sun. Jesse pulled her chair out for her and the hostess placed the menus on the table.

"Thank you." Telia said to Jesse. "This place smells awesome."

"I know right? Fresh bread always smells good." She agreed. The server came immediately.

"Hi, I'm Clark and I will be you server this afternoon. May I get you something to drink?" Telia looked at the menu.

"Uh, how about a sweet tea?"

"Would you like to try one of our flavored teas?"

"Sure. What kind do you have?"

"We have three fruit teas; strawberry, peach and raspberry. We place dried fruit in the filter with the teabags and brew it that way."

"Wow. Sounds delicious. I'll try the peach."

"Make that two."

"Ok, I'll be back in a minute."Clark left and they picked up their menus.

"I've never eaten here. What's good?"

"I've had the soup and salad deal, the California sandwich- minus the sprouts. I've had the quesadillas and the salmon."

"I see you really like this place. What do you recommend?"

"I don't know. Depends on what you like." Just then, Clark returned with their peach teas. Jesse took a sip. "Wow, this is really good."

"I agree. Not as sweet as I thought it would be just sweet enough."

"Have you decided on what to order?"

"Not yet. What do you recommend?"

"Well, our lunch specials are the soup and salad. Today's soup is Chinese Chicken Soup. You can get soup and half a sandwich, half a sandwich and salad, large salad for two and regular sandwich."

"How about the salad for two?" Jesse suggested.

"Which one would you like?" He looked at the menu.

"How about Chinese Caesar to go with the Chinese Chicken Soup?" he chuckled.

"Actually that's not a bad idea." Telia said. "Can I just get a half a sandwich with that? I think I'd like to try the California sandwich, as is." Jesse made a face at the thought of sprouts. She laughed. "I like sprouts."

"I'll have the same, minus sprouts, extra olives."

"Ok, I'll put your order in and bring the salad." Clark took their menus and left.

"Thanks." Jesse looked at Telia. She was so beautiful. "I'm glad we got the chance to meet today."

"Me too. So what part of the Police Department do you work in?"

"I'm a CSI- Crime Scene Investigator. I collect and analysis evidence from crime scenes."

"Wow, just like on TV? Must be interesting."

"It has its days. I got to interrogate suspects this morning based on evidence we found yesterday."

"After I left?" Jesse nodded, sipping his tea. "So how does that work?"

"We have a team, headed up by the red-headed guy you saw yesterday. WE all have a specialty but we can analyze just about anything. We go to the crime scene, usually after it's been secured and sometimes after the dead bodies are taken away and we collect anything and everything we see. Glass shards, fingerprints, bodily fluids, dirt, you name it. We have all this super equipment and computer systems that help us research and come up with answers. Clues to whodunit."

"Yea, just like TV." She laughed.

"So what do you do?"

"What don't I do? Well, I was getting building permits for my restaurant across from the Police Station."

"Wait you're opening up where Willie's used to be?"

"Actually I was buying the business from him the day it burned down. He's a family friend and I started working there when I was 15, my first job. He taught me how to run the restaurant. Cooking, cashier, waiting tables, ordering the inventory, checking in inventory, reconciling the books. I knew it all the first summer. I asked him why he taught me everything. He told me so I could go to school, come back, and run it for real. So I did. I went to Florida A &M, got a business degree. Then I went to grad school here at University of Miami and got a double MBA in Business Management and Education. I thought I was ready then. Willie said there was one more place I had to go. So I entered Le Cordon Bleu and earned my Culinary Degree. And I interned so many places. The Bellagio and MGM Grand in Vegas, Disney World, a year at the White House as Second Assistant Chef. After all that he finally decided, I was ready. We were actually in the lawyer's office when the security company tired to contact him. He had he cell turned off and they called his son Dale. Dale knew where we were and called the office to tell us it was on fire."

"Yea, I remember that day. I loved the onion rings. Will they be on the new menu?"

"Oh, yes. He made sure of it. I would be buying the secret recipes too. He was even going to sign over the insurance policy to me. He used some of it to clear the property. Some he actually invested in the new place. He loved that place. Sent all five of his kids to school working there. And they all when to out of town schools. Dale went to Morehouse, Kelly at Texas Christian, Miles at MIT, Frannie went to NYU and Gary went to Georgetown." Clark then brought the salad and plates. "This looks good." She put some on her plate and served Jesse some.

"So when you're not opening a restaurant, what do you do?"

"I teach. I hate grading papers though. But it's the only way I can be sure they understand the concept. Not everyone participates in class discussions." She paused trying the salad. Jesse was enjoying it greatly.

"What subject?"

"Business/Restaurant Management mostly. Cooking classes. I did that a lot in Orlando."

"So do you critique every place you eat?"

She laughed. "I try not to, sometimes I can't help it. This place is getting good marks though. This salad is delicious. Great choice."

"Thanks. First time I've had it." Clark brought their soup and sandwiches. "What kind of projects to your students do?"

"I have them open up a restaurant or catering business. They have to research the city and state laws, explore funding and investors, make a menu, the whole nine. I've seen some good ones and I've even encouraged some to make it a reality."

"Sounds like you're a tough teacher"

"Nah, just thorough." She laughed. She tasted her sandwich. "The avocado really makes this work."

"I think that's why I like it. Reminds me of the time I lived in L.A."

"You haven't lived in Miami all your life?"

"No, not all. I worked here in CSI and I decided I needed a change so I went to work for CSI in L.A. That was in '97. I met Tracy and we got married. Had a good life out there. LAPD is a special group of folks, though." Telia paused. She didn't even think that he might be married.

"I didn't see a wedding ring. Are you and Tracy still together?"

"Only in memory. I'm a widower."

"Wow. I'm sorry to hear that. What happened? If you don't mind me asking."

"No, I don't mind. I was working a case where this guy murdered his wife, but got off with a technicality. There was a key piece of evidence missing. I had taken a picture of it at the crime scene, but it was nowhere to be found in the evidence boxes. Therefore, we couldn't prove it had the husband's prints and wife's blood and they couldn't prove it didn't. He was so upset with me that he murdered my wife and fled the state." Telia's mouth dropped.

"He killed your wife? Oh my God Jesse. Did you ever find him?"  
"Actually yea, here in Miami. He threw a party where a young lady was raped and killed. He didn't actually do the deed, but he facilitated it. Set it up. Means he was just as guilty."

"So you can't really get him on your wife's behalf can you?"

"Working on it. The evidence may have been recovered. Not sure if Double Jeopardy applies if new evidence is discovered." She sat there shocked. "I left L.A. about a year and a half ago and came back here. I didn't like being there without her. Everything seemed lonely. Our condo seemed like the Taj Mahal."

"I can imagine. So you're in a good place now?"

"I think so. I'll always love her and miss her, but I'm here and she's not. I have to be able to move on." Telia sat back, in disbelief. She had never met anyone who had had a murdered loved one. "You should try your soup before it gets cold." Jesse suggested.

"I'm just in shock."

"I'm glad he's in jail. At least he won't hurt anyone else."

"Yea. I'd like to think there's a special place in Hell for those people." She said trying her soup.

"There is. And it starts when they go to jail." They continued to eat. "On a lighter note, what to you like to do for fun?" he asked.

"I enjoy movies, walking on the beach around sunset. Love a good concert, dancing, cooking of course."

"I'm not much of a dancer, but walking, eating and movies I can do." They laughed. "DO you have any plans for the weekend?"

"Nope. What did you have in mind?"

"Movies, maybe. The community center near the station is having a dance party on Saturday afternoon. The whole station is invited. We work together on a lot of things- community outreach, safety seminars. Those kinds of things."

"Detective Cardoza, sounds like you are asking me out on a date. Are you?"

"Yes, I am. I've had a great time with you today and I would like to get to know you better. It's been a long time since I've felt like I could get to know someone." Telia looked at him out of the corner of her eye, with a sly smile on her face. "What? Do I have salad dressing on my face? Did I say something wrong?" She shook her head "Wait, you have a boyfriend don't you? I knew it. No one as beautiful as you could be single." Jesse said frowning. She laughed with surprise.

"Well, I'm flattered Jesse. But no, I do not have a boyfriend. I'm not seeing anyone. I'm single."

"You sure?"

"I'm absolutely sure." He looked at her from the corner of his eye. "Jesse I'm serious. I'm not seeing anyone." He reached for her hand and placed two fingers to her pulse point. She felt her heart skip a beat with his touch. "You're checking my pulse?"

"Pulse points are sometimes a good indication if a person is lying. Elevated pulse can sometimes indicate deceit."

"What?!?!"

"Hmmm," he said, "feels a little sped up."

"Only because you touched my hand." She whispered and smiled.

"Ok, I believe you. No man in your life." And it was then he smiled.

After eating, they continued to talk until Jesse got a call on his phone.

"Ahhh, duty calls. Excuse me a moment," and he stepped away to answer it. "I was afraid of that. Must head to a crime scene. Check please."

"Oh, it's my treat. I asked you to lunch."

"But I asked you to coffee first."

"Grrr. Ok, you slide this time, on a technicality." He laughed. She went to the ladies room while he paid the check.

"Let me walk you to your car." They ended up walking side by side but secretly wished she would walk in front of him just a little bit, so he could see her hips sway. But he was content to walk beside her. "Thank you again for having lunch with me. It's been the highlight of my day." He took her hand and kissed the back of it. Her breath stopped and the butterflies started.

"How sweet." She said barely above a whisper.

"I'll call you later tonight? Yes?"

"Yes." He opened her car door, watched her get in and drive off. _Ok, Jesse. Head out of the clouds and off to be a CSI…_


	5. Official 1st Date

**A/N:** This multi-chapter story is about Jesse Cardoza/OC. Volume 1 has combinations of Eric/Calleigh, Eric/OC, and Calleigh/OC. It's rated T and M for later chapters. It will also branch off to other journeys (volumes).

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any characters from CSI: Miami (dead or alive). I do however own Telia C. James, all characters connected to her life and the characters in the Chow Down Grill and Café. I also own miscellaneous characters throughout.

**Extra A/N:** Sorry this has taken so long. My mom was in the hospital and I had a hard semester in grad school since I started this. But all is even at the moment. I may not be in school for a few semesters so I may have this and others stories finished before I planned for them to be. This will certainly help me keep my mind busy. Thanks to those of you who have added this and me to your story alerts; it's encouraging to me. I have to give the salsa dancing inspiration mostly to Mr. Carlos Santana; I was listening to his music while writing this. This chapter is inspired by the albums "Shaman", "Supernatural", and "The Best of Santana". Oh and Queen Latifah's remake of "California Dreamin" and a little Ricky Martin. If you don't have any of their stuff in your music collection- shame. On with the journey! Jesse and Telia need to travel. 8)

Chapter 3: Official 1st Date

It's a beautiful spring day and Jesse decided to drive his Porsche, with the top down. Just beautiful, breezy and sunny. He drove around Telia's neighborhood, looking for her condo and found it towards the end of the cove. Seemed quieter on this end of the street. He looked around as he got out of his car and found that he was kind of being watched. Maybe that's a good thing? Neighbors noticing the little things can help keep others safe. He rang the bell and seconds later was greeting by her smiling face, welcoming him in with one hand and holding her cordless telephone in the other.

"Mama I know how old I am." She sounded frustrated. She gestured for Jesse to have a seat and made a promise with her eyes not to be on the phone much longer. "Mama, I understand that she's your best friend from college, but I'm not interested in meeting her son. I don't care what he does." She let out a sigh. Jesse couldn't help but laugh a little, not much, just a little. She's obviously had this conversation with her mother before.

As she talked, Jesse glanced around her condo. The walls were white, but not stark white. He was surrounded by very cool and romantic colors in curtains, pillows, furniture, and accessories. Various shades of blues, pinks, reds and even a little orange. And then there was this wall of color. A big red wall. There was a silk cloth draped between over black hanging shelves in a zigzag pattern. It almost looked like a really long scarf that reminded him of a sunset's colors. Or maybe a sunrise. The couch was comfortable, and white. No kids playing on this couch. The chairs were white as well. The pillows on them almost made them seem a color different than white, if that was possible. Beautifully decorated. He glanced into her dining room and proved to him that blue really might be her color; it matched the dress she was wearing the day they met. Glancing into the kitchen, he saw yellow, green and red- reminded him of a Mexican corn dish his mother used to make for his father. He saw a couple of hallways. Bedrooms, bathroom, maybe an office down there.

"Mama…Mama. Yes, I will be at church tomorrow. No, I will not be meeting Dale….So how do you know I'm not bringing someone to church _with_ me?" She asked in a huff. "Why are you laughing Mama? Stop laughing….Anyway, my date is here now, Mama. I have to go….Yea, maybe I _will_ bring him to church with me tomorrow….Mama, will you stop laughing?... Bye, Mama. Bye." Telia made a disgusted sound as she hung up to phone. After placing it on the cradle, she smoothed her hands on her dress to calm herself. Jesse smiled at her.

"Sounds like an interesting woman." He said sitting on the couch. It was then he noticed the material of the couch was a slipcover. Probably the same for the chairs. So kids could play in here; take the cover off and wash. Smart woman. She rolled her eyes and sighed as she joined him, sitting with one leg under her.

"Oh, you have no idea. Sorry you had to hear all that. She wants me to meet the son of a friend she went to school with. What she doesn't know is I already know some things about Dale and I don't like what I know."

"I remember how my mom was before I met Tracy. She was trying to fix me up with so many girls. My dad had to finally convince her to let me find someone on my own. I guess I was taking too long."

"I think that's my mom's problem; I'm taking too long. There are five of us and three of us are already married. She's just as relentless on Tyler as she is me. She doesn't know how hard of a time she's going to have with him."

"Why's that? He doesn't get along well with who she picks?" Telia kind of laughed.

"You could say that. Tyler is my twin brother and you know twins share all kinds of secrets. Well, my brother is gay and he has yet to tell my parents."

"Wow."

"Yea. I keep encouraging to tell them, but he won't. I keep threatening that I'm going to out him at the next family dinner. He thinks I'm bluffing."

"Are you?"

"No, I'm not. He needs to tell them so he can live a happy life and not have my mom interfere like that. She can be a little scary. She should be introducing Dale to Tyler." Jesse raised his eyebrows.

"Note to self: don't get on Telia's bad side." They both laughed.

"So where are we going today?"

"You remember that community center I told you we kind of adopted? Well they're having a dance fundraiser and I thought you might like to go."

"Absolutely! I love charities."

"The kids take lessons after school and there are some kids who play in a salsa band who will be there. Should be interesting."

"I guess I'm dressed appropriately." She was wearing a yellow sundress with blue flowers and this time yellow heeled sandals.

"I think you look great. Everything starts at 10:30 so we should get going if we want to see the kids dance."

"Sure." She got up from the couch to find her purse and keys. Jesse opened the door for her, she locked it and they waked toward his car. "Wait, this isn't want you drove the other day." Jesse laughed.

"Oh, that was the CSI car. We take in the field 'cause we never know what we will have to bring back to the lab. This is my car. And it's a nice day so I drove with the top down. I can put it up if you like."

"Oh top down is fine with me," she said, slipping on her shades. Jesse opened the car door for her and she got in.

**Miami-Dade Community Center 24 a.k.a The Sierra Center**

As they approached the community center, they could hear the music playing away. And they could smell grilling hotdogs, peppers and onions. Telia was feeling the excitement of the crowd as they parked and walked toward the center. As they approached, sound of salsa music began drawing her in and her hips swayed to the music, much to Jesse's delight. She began dancing.

"Wait, you know how to salsa dance?"

"Yes. You should come Zumba with me sometime." She smiled, with a slight evil grin on her lips. "Wait, you have a Latino last name and you don't salsa?" She quizzically asked, laughing a bit.

"I don't think the men in my family danced much. They used the last name to impress the women." He shrugged. She grabbed his hand and led him to the outdoor ball court that was being used as a dance floor.

"Here, let me show you. The main thing in Latin dancing is to follow the beat. You should always think right, left, right left right, then left, right, left right left." She moved her feet and hips to show him how to follow the beat. "That's the basic movement. So whether the song is slow or fast the basic steps are the same. Try it." Jesse tried, but his lefts and rights seems more like military marching than dancing. She sighed and thought for a sec as one of her favorite songs "Oye Como Va" began to play.

"Let's try this. I'm going to stand in front of you with my back to you. You place your hands on my waist so you can feel the hip movement and see my feet. I'm going to show you the lead part and when you get it I'll turn and face you, ok?"

"Uh…yea, ok." Jesse placed his hands on her hips and she began dancing so he could feel the hip movement. Unbeknownst to them, Jesse's team partners had arrived and were being thoroughly entertained by his lesson. "Right, left, right left right. Left, right, left right left," he repeated to himself, trying to feel the beat. Glancing back, Telia could see that he was getting the hang of it so she turned to face him. "Wait, wait not yet," he protested.

"It's ok, this will help." She began to dance like a dance partner. She moved his right hand to her left shoulder, the other she left on her hip. She let him lead and she danced in response. "See, it's not so hard."

"I'm trying not to step on your toes."

"You can't step on my toes. We're doing the same movements, but when I'm in front, I'm opposite. So when you step forward with the right, I'm stepping back. See?" He nodded, sort of understanding. Then the music changed. He started to panic. "Jesse, it's ok. Look at me, not at your feet so much." He raised his head. "The more you look at your feet, the more you want to depend on them; depend on the rhythm of the song."

"Ok, I think, I'm getting it."

"You're doing good. Now, let's try some arm movements." She grabbed his left hand from her waist and the right from her shoulder and held them between them as if they were going to play the playground game "London Bridge is Falling Down".

"Arm movements?"

"It's easy. You know the beats right? Keep with the right, left, right left right, but on the right left right we'll break apart like this" and she showed him "and then come back together on the left, right, and break on the left right left, Ok?" She showed him a few more times. He really was getting the hang of it.

"Hey Fred, Ginger said don't quit your day job." Walter teased.

"She makes it look easy." Ryan said. "He's much better than what we saw at first."

"What?" Jesse, looking to his side, realizing that they had an audience, who that audience was

"Don't worry about them. You got this. You know these dances can get really sexy after a while with the hips and everything. Like this." She began to show him by moving in a circle and slowly rolling her hips as if she had a hula-hoop around her. Jesse could only smile, feeling himself blush. "Or like this" and she began to move her hips in a short, quick fashion much like the artist Shakira's Columbian dancing.

"Wow." Jesse whispered.

"Cardoza, you look a little lost man," came the voice of fellow teammate Eric Delko. "Let me show ya how it's done" he said stepping to them. "May I?"

"You think you can do better?"

"Yea, I **know** I can. Hi, I'm Eric Delko, one Jesse's team members."

"I'm Telia James. You ok, with this Jesse?" she asked looking at him.

"Sure, let's see what he's got." Jesse said, stepping back and letting Eric take Telia's hand. Just then, Santana's "Foo Foo" started playing through the speakers.

"Oh, I love this song!!!" Telia exclaimed, clapping and she and Eric took off dancing. Jesse seemed a little uncomfortable with Eric dancing so close and Telia rolling her hips so seductively. And it showed on his face.

"Yo, Jesse you alright man?" Ryan asked. He nodded. "You do know they're just dancing right? She came to the party with you and will be leaving with you. Right?"

"Right. Does he have to stand so close to her butt?"

"You were doing the same thing when she was trying to teach you." Walter commented.

"Yea, but I was trying to learn. He clearly knows what he's doing."

"Dude, they're just dancing." Walter said and with that, the song was ending. Everybody on the makeshift dance floor clapped at the music and Eric bowed in front of Telia, thanking her for dancing with him.

"You're an awesome dancer. Where'd you learn all that?"

"Around" Telia responded. "Thanks, you're not so bad yourself. I think Jesse was just nervous, but I think he's getting the hang of it." Eric wanted to flash that famous Delko smile that usually used to flirt, but for some reason he didn't.

"Let me get you back to Jesse before he pulls his gun and shoots me." He said, taking Telia's hand and escorting her back to where Jesse was standing. "Cardoza, you're gonna need serious lessons if you plan on keeping up with her" She placed a hand on Jesse's cheek and smiled "She's an awesome dancer. Thanks again Telia."

"You're welcome. Nice meeting you Eric."

"You definitely made it look easy." Jesse commented, "Maybe I'll get there one day." He shrugged. "Let me introduce you to some of the team. This is Walter Simmons, Ryan Wolfe and our Lt. Horatio Caine." They all greeted her with a handshake.

"Hi gentlemen. I remember seeing you the other day while I was lost in the wrong building. Nice to meet all of you."

"You two look like you've been dancing up a storm. Why don't you get something to drink? I think the children are about to show what they've been learning." H said.

"Great idea." Jesse said, "We'll see you guys later?" They nodded. He placed his hand at the small of Telia's back and they walked towards the refreshment stand. Walter turned his head.

"Don't look at the sway. Trying not to look at the sway. Don't look Walter, don't look." H and Eric gave him a confused look.

"Ha," Ryan said, "I can look. It doesn't bother me. Anyway, you should be able to look. It's not like they became couple in a relationship in the last four days."

"Hello? They _are_ on a date." Walter said. Just then, H took a glance and smiled.

"I take it that this is the sway that sent Jesse to the elevators where she was standing?" Ryan and Walter both nodded.

"Damn, do you blame him? If my eyes had caught the sight of _that_ the other day, I would've followed her too." Eric said, cherishing what he saw.

"Hey cut it out man!" Walter scolded, "You should have seen Jesse's face while you two were dancing. He was about to rip your head off."

"She _is_ a beautiful woman. Sexy and all that." Eric replied.

"Aren't you in a relationship with Calleigh or did you forget that while you were dancing?" Ryan hinted.

"Nah, I didn't forget. But you might want to check with her on that. Sometimes it feels like she has." Eric said frowning.

Approaching the refreshment stand, Jesse and Telia's noses were greeted with the most awesome of scents. Not only were there hot dogs, onions and peppers grilling, but there was steak, chicken and shrimp for fajitas. There was freshly popped popcorn, fresh tortillas being made (grilled and fried), funnel cakes, chili, spicy cheese sauce for nachos. There was freshly squeezed lemonade, freshly brewed teas, the scent of fresh fruit being made into fruit slushes.

"I know I ate breakfast this morning buy my stomach if growling like I haven't eaten in two days." Jesse said.

"Oh, me too. Those fajitas look so good. And there's fresh guacamole too? This is great." She said looking around. "I'm sort of hungry, but not really."

"How about chips and fresh salsa and guacamole?" suggested one of the community volunteers. "And some fresh lemonade?" Jesse looked at Telia.

"Sounds good to me. You?"

"Sure" she replied. The volunteer set them up with chips for two with salsa and guacamole, and two lemonades. Jesse paid and they found a picnic table facing the stage where the children would be performing.

"This is really nice. Great weather. I'm excited to see the kids too," she said, taking a sip of her lemonade.

"Me too. I hear they've been working really hard." He dipped a chip into the guac and tasted it. "I don't think I've ever had guac this good and fresh before." The children began filing onto the outdoor stage and the music started. It was all so cute! Some were a little off beat, but their hearts were all in it. While they were watching the show, more of Jesse's team members came and sat with them. Jesse introduced everyone between shows. By intermission time, his whole team had joined their table. The DJ started playing music and people filled the makeshift dance floor at once.

"Another spin on dance floor?" Telia asked.

"Uh, maybe later. I promise, I'm not backing out." Jesse replied. Just then, a center volunteer came by the table, asking if everyone was enjoying themselves. They all replied yes.

"I'm also looking for community businesses to sign up on our partner list."

"Oh, I'd love to be a partner." Telia said, reaching for the clipboard.

"Is your business near the Sierra Center?"

"Yes. Actually I'm right across from the police station, well the Crime Lab side anyway." The volunteer looked confused. She hadn't been aware of any new business opening up on that side of the center. Jesse's colleagues looked puzzled as well.

"Across from the lab?" Eric asked.

"Yes, I bought Willie Red's restaurant. We were actually signing the contract the day it burned down."

"Wow, I didn't know you knew him." The volunteer stated.

"Oh, yea, he's a family friend. He taught me how to run the business when I was 15 and sent me to school so I could be certified and run it for real. And now I am. That's why I was in the building the other day looking for the permit office." She gave the filled out form back to the volunteer. "I'm looking forward to working with you. Our grand opening is in a month and I know I'll have some positions open for students to work summer jobs. I can also get whoever involved with our Learn To Cook program at the University."

"Thank you. I'm looked forward to working with you too Ms. James." He gave her a business card. "If you have any questions, please call me."

"Thanks." He left to find more people. The rest of the table looked somewhat stunned at Telia. And stunned at Jesse; he found a smart girl. Really smart.

"So, explain to me how you got to own Willie's place?" H asked.

"Well, that first summer he taught me to run it. And I worked as his second assistant manager on weekends and when he was on vacation. He offered to sell it to me, when I was qualified to run it for real. Actually, I was buying the business from him the day it burned down. I started working there when I was 15, my first job. He taught me how to run the restaurant. Cooking, cashier, waiting tables, ordering the inventory, checking in inventory, reconciling the books. I knew it all the first summer. I asked him why he taught me everything. He told me so I could go to school, come back, and run it for real. So I did. I went to Florida A &M, got a business degree. Then I went to grad school here at University of Miami and got a double MBA in Business Management and Education. I thought I was ready then. Willie said there was one more place I had to go. So I entered Le Cordon Bleu and earned my Culinary Degree. And I interned so many places. The Bellagio and MGM Grand in Vegas, Disney World, a year at the White House as Second Assistant Chef. After all that he finally decided, I was ready. We were actually in the lawyer's office when the security company tired to contact him. He had he cell turned off and they called his son Dale. Dale knew where we were and called the office to tell us it was on fire."

"Amazing, all that to run a restaurant?" Natalia asked.

"It was the only way Willie would sell it; I had to be ready to run it."

"So what do you do when you're opening a restaurant?" Eric pondered.

"I teach Restaurant Business, Culinary Classes, and Business Management."

"Coolest place you interned?" Ryan asked.

"Um...three way tie between the White House, Disney and the Bellagio."

"You worked for the president and the Mouse?" Walter asked.

"The 2nd assistant chef with works with the 2nd family. I was always there with the state dinners, banquets, etc. I would've love the chance to work with the 1st or 2nd family now. I think working with Mrs. Obama would be the top of my list. But it was my fate to work before they got there."

"Wow. What an amazing life." Eric stated, gazing at Telia with a gaze he probably shouldn't have.

"So can we get a preview of the menu? Are the onion rings making a comeback? I really miss them." Water asked.

"Oh yes. It's in the contract that I have to serve the Top Ten- the onion rings, the burgers, the chicken fried steak, the fried chicken, pot roast, tuna salad, the cheeseburger casserole, the chicken casserole, the steak salad and the chicken salad. We're adding soup and salad, a deli sandwich menu and fresh pastries."

"Sounds like I have a new place for lunch." H said.

"And it will open 24 hours, with breakfast options and endless coffee pots. So we're hoping everyone in the police buildings get to come at least twice a week. You guys will probably be the bulk of our customers."

"With a menu like that, I might be in twice a day." Walter commented.

A smoke cloud with the scent of a new batch of peppers and onions being grilled wafted across the table.

"Now there's a conversation stopper." Jesse said "You hungry?" He asked Telia.

"Yes, I'm thinking fajitas. Can't decide between steak or chicken though." He nodded in agreement at the predicament. He stated that we would be back in a minute and took her lemonade cup with him for a refill. Alexx's husband, Horatio and Frank Tripp left with him. Alexx wanted to find out more about this young lady who seemed to capture Jesse's attention so. She wasn't the only one. Calleigh took an interest because Eric took an interest. He seemed to be hanging on her every word just like Jesse; that was fine for Jesse, but Eric was her man. Walter could sense the tension and tried to motion to Ryan to leave the table for a minute and to bring Eric with him. Just then, he saw the chance.

"Hey, Stetler's in the dunking booth!" The guys looked up. "Ten bucks says I dunk him on the first ball," he said egging Eric on. Eric returned the challenge.

"First ball my ass. I see your 10, raise you 20 that I get him on the first ball _**and**_ the next three following. How 'bout that?" Ryan laughed at the competition.

"That sounds hard to beat Walter. 30 bucks man. What cha gonna do?" Walter contemplated.

"Game on bro. Let's go." And the trio headed to the dunking booth. The ladies couldn't help but laugh.

"Men and their games." Calleigh said, shaking her head.

"So who's got the advantage?" Telia asked.

"Don't know. Both played football and baseball. I'll check and see" Natalia said, heading after them. Now to get down to business.

"So how are you enjoying your time with Jesse?" Alexx asked.

"I'm enjoying it very much. This is only the second time we've been together. We had the lunch the day after we met. We've talked on the phone everyday since. I like him a lot. He seems very sweet and caring."

"I think he feels the same way about you. There's something in his eyes when he talks about you. I only used to see it when he talked about her. It took him a while to get this place."

"Yea, he told me about Tracy. I'm glad her killer is behind bars." She paused for a second "So he's talked about me a lot in the past few days?" Calleigh nodded.

"You could say that. Saying he's excited about a potential relationship between you two would be an understatement." Telia smiled and blushed a little. When she saw him and the other men coming back towards the table, she blushed and smiled even more. At this point, she didn't think that was possible.

"Here you go babe." Alexx's husband said placing the fajitas on the table between them to share. H had a taco special and Tripp hot dogs covered in the grilled onions and peppers. Alexx looked at him.

"Yea, I know, but it's gonna be worth the indigestion. Trust me." He said sitting down. Jesse had fajitas for him and Telia as well, with a mix of steak and chicken, salsa, sour cream and guac on the side.

"Wow, that looks so good."

"Where's everyone else?" Jesse asked.

"Stetler's in the dunking booth and there's $30 riding between Eric and Walter as to who can dunk him the first try." Calleigh said. Jesse and Tripp laughed.

"I'm glad I turned it down." H said smiling "But maybe I'll take a throw later." Telia and Jesse began eating and soon the air was saturated with the sounds of cheering in the area of the dunking booth. Everyone at the table looked, but really couldn't see. Natalia was one her way back to the table, laughing. She was holding her side and she had tears in her eyes from laughing so hard.

"We might have to be careful what we do around Stetler for a few weeks."

"So who won?" Tripp asked as she sat down.

"It was tie. They each dunked him the first time and the three times after. And the two tie breakers. So between Walter and Eric, Stetler got dunked 12 times! 12 times! Oh my gosh I wish you could have seen his face! It was so funny!" she wiped tears from her eyes. "I don't know when I last laughed so hard." She was shaking her head.

"Thanks for the heads up Natalia." H replied.

"Come on girl let's get something to eat." Calleigh suggested and they headed towards the refreshment stand. The betting trio came back laughing at themselves and Stetler. Their laughing was contagious.

"So what happened?" Jesse asked.

"He banned us from the dunking booth." Walter said laughing. "We got him so good. But we matched hit for hit so we called it even."

"I didn't know you arm was that good man. I underestimated you." Eric said, shaking his hand.

"I don't know 'bout you guys but I'm starving. You guys made me laugh so much that I don't need to do any crunches today." Ryan said, heading to the refreshment stand. The other two followed.

The students who were playing in salsa band were about to take the stage. By this time, Jesse and Telia had finished eating and were listening to the music. The students were really good. They sounded like professionals. But they were just teenagers.

"You fancy another turn on the dance floor?" She asked.

"Sure. The music is slower maybe I can keep up now." He chuckled. As they headed back to the makeshift dance floor, Alexx commented to the table that she had a feeling those two were going to get married.

"I don't know what it is, but I can see their wedding. I don't get these visions often. And when I do, they always come true." Jesse slowly pulled Telia into his arms and placed them around her waist as she placed hers on his shoulders. His placed his cheek next to hers as they swayed together with the music.

"The party is almost over," Jesse said "but I'm not ready to stop spending time together with you today."

"I've been having a great time too. Maybe we could do something else. It's still early."

"What do you want to do?"

"I don't know. Movie, bowling, anything so we can get to know each other better." She replied looking at him, melting him with her chocolate eyes. "You mind if we stop by my house so I can change my shoes? These are cute but my feet are hurting a bit." He laughed and nodded and they walked to his car.

As they were walking in the door, the phone rang.

"Where's the bathroom?" Jesse asked before she answered.

"Down this hall, first door on the right." As he turned to the hall, she answered her phone.

"Hello?....Mama, I just walked in. Is there an emergency?... I've been out on a date and we're going out again. I just came home to change my shoes….No I haven't changed my mind about meeting Dale. Is that what all the calls on my caller id are about?....Ok, mama. This is getting out of hand. I'm going to change my shoes to go out again. I will see you tomorrow. Bye mama." She hung up the phone ran to her bedroom before it could ring again. She took off her shoes and looked in her closet for something to match. And then she remembered, she didn't buy those shoes. _Darn it_, she thought. _I'll just have to_ _change my outfit. I don't think Jesse will mind_. She looked in her closet to see what she could change into. _Another dress? Oh, wait I have these khaki capri pants I haven't worn yet. Let's see….I can wear a white sleeveless tee with it and a shirt over it. What color shirt? Blue? Pink? Black? Green? Oh, pink. I can wear those new pink flats. Yea that's it. _She stepped into her bathroom to relieve herself and check her makeup. She washed her face and put on new makeup. She freshened her deodorant and added her favorite perfume.

Jesse entered the living room and seeing that Telia was still in her bedroom, he sat down on the couch and looked up movie times on his phone's web browser. After Telia finished she came out of her bedroom and surprised Jesse completely.

"Wow. I didn't expect a wardrobe change."

"I know, but I really didn't have any flats to match the dress, but I did to match this." She twirled around for him.

"I don't have a problem with it. I've been looking up movie times. Anything you want to see?"

"Hmmm, how about "Clash of the Titans". I've heard it's really good and it's 3-D."

"Sounds like a winner." She grabbed her purse and they left for the Cineplex.

**A/N 2**: Sorry about the length, but there were a lot of conversations. And writing Latin dance steps from memory was a little harder than I thought; hope they made sense. Hope you enjoyed it and if you squinted, you got a glimpse of what is to come. If you care to review, please do.


	6. Moon over Miami

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any characters from CSI: Miami (dead or alive). I do however own Telia C. James, all characters connected to her life and the characters in the Chow Down Grill and Café. I also own miscellaneous characters throughout. I also don't own the song lyrics or any part of "The Little Mermaid".

**A/N**: I know it's been a while. Believe me I want to see this story play out just like you do. I've had some setbacks with my internet mainly my mobile broadband card. I've never seen a battery puff up before. Kinda scary actually. It kept disconnecting me because the puffy battery wouldn't let the cover close. Modern technology, gotta love it. I hope to update the other Journeys as well and start a new journey with NCIS.

Big thanks to **xxCrimexObsessedxPrincessxx** (for my 1st review), **Ducainefan10** and **taliabreizh **for the adds. I'm encouraged 8)

Well, on to the rest of the first date. Oh, one other thing- Jesse's thoughts and the song lyrics. Jesse's voice, _regular italics_, his mind's answer _**bold underlined italics**_, song lyrics, **bold type**. Wish I could have put all three in a different color.

Chapter 4: Moon over Miami

As they arrived at the Cineplex, Jesse was overwhelmed with the amount of people there. It had been a while since he had gone to the movies. They walked up to the window and saw that "Clash of the Titans" would be starting in 20 minutes and that it was almost sold out He purchased the tickets and they hurried in. Neither wanted anything from the concession stand so they found the theatre and hope they could still find good seats. They found a row with no one in it yet and Telia urged Jesse to sit in the middle of the row.

"Why?"

"To avoid those people who constantly have to get up. Tyler and I saw Stevie Wonder and we had the last two seats right on the end. This drunk couple was sitting next to us and one of them was either coming or going the whole concert. It was so frustrating."

"Middle it is." They settled in and began to watch the previews. Telia offered Jesse a piece of gum, some new weird flavor.

"What happened to good old-fashioned bubble gum flavor?"

"Kids. Old-fashioned just doesn't get it anymore. This isn't so bad; reminds me of raspberry coulee." The movie began and about 20 minutes into it, Jesse was glad that she suggested they sit in the middle. The occupants of the ends of the row ended up getting up three- four times before the movie ended.

They both enjoyed the movie. They left the theatre, comparing it to the original of their childhoods. Both were impressed. On the way out, they checked out the posters of the coming attractions, planning future dates to see them. Jesse's stomach growled and Telia laughed at how loud it was. He asked for dinner suggestions. The sky was still light out and the sun was about an hour from setting, reminding Jesse of the colors in Telia's condo.

"You up for seafood? There's a place I heard about on the pier near Penny's Marina. We could go there and watch the sunset while we eat."

"Sounds good to me." He said as he opened the car door for her. He rememberd where this marina was. He had a theft and attempted murder case there last year. The marina was beautiful and he guessed it would look more so with the setting sun behind it. Telia was really enjoying her date with Jesse. She had never really been on an all day date before. Neither had Jesse. He was all smiles. _I don't remember_ _the last time I smiled this much_, he thought.

They pulled up and finally found a parking space. Seems like they weren't the only people in Miami who wanted to have a sunset dinner. The wait for a table was going to be 45 minutes. Telia suggested they sit outside and watch the sunset. The hostess showed them to the "porch", an outside waiting area that was an extension of the bar. There were bar stools and bar tables out there. People were eating, some just appetizers, and some full meals.

"You know, we could eat out here. The sun won't be directly in our eyes and the breeze isn't too bad. What do you think?" Jesse asked.

"It's fine with me."

"Miss, could we get a couple of menus and just sit out here? Someone else can have the table we were waiting for."

"Sure" the hostess replied and handed them a couple of menus from the wall. They thanked her and began looking at the menu. Telia's culinary mind kicked in and she was pleased at the menu. There was fresh fish, most deiniftely caught during all times of the day. There were salads, pastas, soups- one of the best menus she'd seen. A waitress came by to place an order for drinks; Jesse ordered a beer and Telia, Sangria.

"Wow. I'm impressed." She said, trying to decide was to order.

"Me too. This is incredible." When the waitress returned, they asked for her suggestions. She made them and Telia ordered the Miami Shrimp and Pasta- grilled shrimp with a sweet and spicy sauce, tossed with linguini. Jesse ordered The Cod and Crab- grilled cod with crab legs, served grilled peppers in a creamy sauce tossed with linguini. Telia took out her phone to take pictures of the sunset to add to her Facebook page.

"You're on Facebook? I'll have to be sure to send you a friend request." Jesse said. Just Telia took his picture. "Hey wait, thought you were taking sunset only."

"It's to show my mother that I was actually out on a date."

"Well, if you're going to do that, then you should take at least one of us together," he said getting up and walking behind her so she could take the picture. She took several of them together and so did he. Just in case, he wanted to share with his family as well. Soon their food arrived and both were pleasantly surprised. The phrase eating with yours eyes first must have been invented for their dishes.

"This looks too good to eat!" Telia said.

"Yeah, but not that good." Jesse said jokingly and diving into his pasta.

The meal was better than he imagined. Telia was really enjoying Jesse's company. She was so glad she decided to accept the date, even if it did end up lasting all day. Neither could stop smiling. Jesse wondered what the people on the porch thought about this white guy sitting with this beautiful black woman. He never thought he would be self-conscientious about who he was seen out with. Then again, he had never dated a black woman before; this was new to him. _But why should it be new? She's beautiful, intelligent, and fun to be with. Stop worrying and enjoy yourself. _Jesse soon realized that no one was really concerned about the two of them; over half of the couples sitting out there were interracial, some same sex. He shook the thought out of his head as their waitress asked about dessert.

"I'm stuffed. I can't eat anymore. Did you want dessert Jesse?" He thought about it and shook is head. She left the bill and left to check her other tables. "I feel like I need to walk this off." Just then, Jesse had an idea.

"Maybe we should. You up for a moonlit stroll on the beach?" He asked, smiling.

"Yes. I haven't done that in soooo long." Jesse motioned for the waitress so she could come and get his credit card.

"No, Jesse let me."

"Oh no. I asked you out remember?"

"But you paid for lunch the other day, lunch today, movie tickets and now you're paying for dinner."

"It's the price a man pays to woo a lady," he said, winking and smiling at her. She rolled her eyes and blushed a little. "You pick it up when it's your turn to woo me, ok?" She agreed, laughed and excused herself to the ladies room. As soon as the waitress brought back Jesse's card he left a tip and headed to the men's room himself. The line to the ladies room ridiculously long. He knew he'd be in and done before Telia, so he told her he would wait for her on the benches outside. Jesse was outside waiting for a little over 10 minutes.

"Good grief! I thought I'd never get in there and out. Wow they should have planned for more women visiting this place than men." Jesse nodded and took her hand as they walked to the car.

They rode with the top down as they headed to the beach. The evening breeze was awesome and the salty air could be smelled for miles. Jesse knew there were some parts of the beach that were closed after dark; usually the places by the rocks and caves. He wished they could go to those parts and not be bothered. But they would have to settle for the parts nearer the restaurants. And since the weather was spring-like, there would be people evening/midnight surfing, and evening beach parties.

Therefore, he looked for a part of the beach not occupied by a lot of people. He found it really far down, not too many lights on the boardwalk so they could at least see the stars. He parked and Telia locked her purse in the trunk. He stopped by a bench and rolled up the pants legs of his khakis. They each waited until they got to the bottom of the stairs before taking their shoes off- to avoid splinters.

The sand still felt warm, even though the sun was long gone. Holding hands, they took a walk towards the water.

"Wonder how cold it is?" Telia asked. Jesse had an evil look in his eye.

"Let's see."He said pulling her toward the water that was gently lapping at the sand, making it mud like.

"Oh wait Jesse!" She protested as she felt the cold surf rush her feet up to her ankles. "Oh my gosh, it's colder than I thought!!" Telia stepped back, immediately covering her feet in dry sand. Jesse laughed.

"Oh it's not so bad. Let's just stand here and get used to it." She crept up towards the shoreline and let the cold wetness brush over her feet again, shivering a little. As she stood there, the water didn't seem to bother her so bad. "So did you come here often as a kid?" Jesse asked.

"A lot. My parents preferred the section over there," she said pointing to her left, past the rocks. "There used to be a great hot dog stand there and was pretty cheap eats for a family with five kids. What about you?"

"My cousins and I would come a lot. I guess we were down there a lot too. I seem to remember a clown selling cotton candy and thinking he was going to pass out in the clown outfit."

"I remember. Coco's Cotton Candy. Tyler used to be afraid of him so he would always make me buy the cotton candy."

"Coulrophobia? Is he still afraid of clowns?"

"Yes. Although I think, it is more the makeup he's afraid of. He doesn't like drag queens either. Too much makeup."

"Ah. Some of them are kind of scary though."

"I remember my grandparents took us to see Ringling Bros. and Tyler cried the whole time. My granddaddy was so upset 'cause no one told him about his fear of clowns."

"Did anyone ever try and figure it out?"

"Yeah, either he really doesn't know or he really doesn't want to tell. So we don't push it." Jesse shrugged then tugged on Telia's hand to get her to walk with him in the sand. As they walked, she could hear music from somewhere. Salsa music. "Do you hear that?" She asked. Jesse turned and nodded. Telia excitedly dropped her shoes, smiling. "Show me what you remember." Jesse groaned and laughed.

"Now?"

"Yes, now. Perfect time."

"In the sand?"

"Yes, in the sand. Come on, it will feel easy." Jesse reluctantly dropped his shoes, followed her rhythm and began to dance with her. He was surprised he remembered. And he didn't look down at his feet too much; he was looking at her beautiful face in the moon light now shining down on them. Trying to fill the awkward silence, he asked her what she liked about dinner. Super Chef kicked in, she started talking about the sweet and spicy sauce her shrimp were tossed in which then, started her on tangent about spices. Jesse was trying to listen to her but was listening to himself instead.

_Wow, her lips are so enticing. Her voice is so smooth, seems like her words drip from her lips like honey. Wonder how sweet her kiss would be? _

Suddenly he could hear Sebastian the Crab from Disney's "The Little Mermaid" singing….

**There you see her, Sitting across the way**

**She don't got a lot to say but there's something about her**

**And you don't know why, but you're dying to try**

**You wanna kiss the girl.**

_Nah, maybe she doesn't want to be kissed_.

_**You should kiss her and find out. This would be the perfect time, here on the beach, under the moonlight.**_

_Maybe…_

**Yes, you want her. Look at her, you know you do**

**It's possible she wants you, too. There is one way to ask her**

**It don't take a word, not a single word**

**Go on and kiss the girl**

_I don't know…_

_**What are you stupid?! You have been longingly looking at each other all day long. Your lips need to touch hers, no excuses. **_

**Sing with me now, Sha-la-la-la-la-la**

**My, oh my. Look at the boy too shy**

**He ain't gonna kiss the girl, Sha-la-la-la-la-la**

**Ain't that sad, ain't it a shame, too bad**

**You gonna miss the girl**

_My arms fit so perfectly around her waist…_

**Sha-la-la-la-la-la, Don't be scared**

**You got the mood prepared**

**Go on and kiss the girl**

_**See? Perfect for kissing…Hello?! Don't miss the kiss! What's the hold up?**__**Jesse? **_

**Sha-la-la-la-la-la, Don't stop now**

**Don't try to hide it how you wanna kiss the girl**

_Huh?_

**Sha-la-la-la-la-la, Float along**

**Listen to the song, the song say kiss the girl**

_**Jesse?!**_

**Sha-la-la-la-la-la, Music play**

**Do what the music say, You wanna kiss the girl**

"Jesse? Earth to Jesse?" Telia said. Jesse looked at her a little dazed. "Where'd you go?" He shook himself back to reality. For a moment, he was at a loss for words. He didn't even realize that they had stopped dancing. **You've got to kiss the girl**

"Uh, just thinking of something I should have done when we were dancing earlier." **Why don't you kiss the girl**

"Okay…What's that?" **You** **gotta kiss the girl**

"This" he whispered, leaning in, gently kissing her lips. A sweet, delicate peck. He pulled back slowly, waiting for her reaction. She leaned in closer to him, offering her lips to him, trying to stand a little taller. Jesse leaned down to meet her, pulling her closer by her waist as she closed her eyes. He placed his lips on hers again with a series of short, pecks. Telia placed her arms around his neck, licking her bottom lip, and then tugging on his. Closing his eyes, Jesse could feel the butterflies start. He returned her tug as her tongue asked for permission to enter is mouth. Permission granted. She could feel his lips move gently for her and felt her body's shock as their tongues introduced themselves.

Telia could feel Jesse's hand leave her waist to cup her jaw as their lips continued to massage each other. As Telia's knees weakened, she began to feel dizzy and started slipping down inside Jesse's arms. She pulled away to breathe and he caught her, pulling her back to him. He blushed, as they both smiled. Looking into each other's eyes, they began to melt. The sand under their feet and the soundtrack of crashing waves continued the soothing vibe of the moment.

She reached up to kiss him again, not even sure of either of them had taken a long enough breath to continue. She moaned softly into his mouth as they kissed and Jesse could feel his heart beating faster and faster. They were so engrossed with their kiss that neither of them could see the nighttime tide rolling up the shoreline but they definitely felt it, the cold water engulfing their feet brought them out of their mesmerized state.

"Ahhh, cold feet!"

"My new shoes!" They quickly grabbed their shoes and moved out of the tide's way, laughing a bit. They watched the waves lap the shore, covering their earlier footprints. Telia turned to Jesse, smiling.

"What?" He asked.

"SO you were gonna do that while we were dancing huh?"He chuckled.

"I thought about it." He confessed. "It was much more romantic here." He said leaning down to kiss her again. She reached up and placed her arms around his neck, shoes still in her hands. This time he was the one who moaned into the kiss, cherishing the sweetness of her lips. His kiss felt so inviting, and she accepted the invitation. So loving and tender, just how she liked it. He pulled her closer to him as their tongues enjoyed the decadence. **You wanna kiss the girl**. Jesse changed the angle of his head after pulling apart to catch his breath. As he did, he and Telia saw a bright circle on his jaw and then his shirt. They looked over their shoulders to see a beach patrol officer shining a flashlight on them.

"Evening folks. Saw your car down here and thought I should let you know this end of the beach will be closing in about 10 minutes."

"Thanks." Jesse replied, feeling a bit embarrassed. Telia laughed a little bit, feeling the cool air on her cheeks, not sure if it was just the air or her flushed cheeks. "I guess that means we should go." They headed for the stairs, clapping their shoes to make sure there was no sand in them. They walked over to the pump to wash the sand from their feet. He let Telia go first while he went to his trunk and found a clean towel in his clothes bag. He handed her the towel and her purse so she could dry her feet before putting her shoes on and use lotion if she wanted to. He soon dried his feet and unrolled his pants legs. They headed towards the car, Jesse once again opening the door for her. She took her phone out and took some pictures of the waves and the moonlight. A perfect end to a perfect day.

**E/N**: Ok, I really don't know what made me stick the lyrics in. I guess they just fit. FYI- if you're going to use phobias in a fic, you will probably have to add them to the MS Word dictionary. Coulrophobia wasn't in there.


	7. Sunday Morning

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any characters from CSI: Miami (dead or alive).

**A/N:** Time for more Jesse and Telia. I apologize for the long wait. I hope this will make up for it.

**Warning:** This chapter involves gay people going to church and being active, productive members of God's Kingdom. **I don't need nor do I want to see any flames.** I have gay friends who consider themselves God's children and I agree. He loves His children, but He doesn't like our sin. I don't condemn them for their sexual choices and they don't condemn me for mine. That's not our job. We are to love each other as Christ has loved us. And we do. They are some of the coolest people I have ever met and one of them knows as much about the Bible as I do. And I know a lot. Now if you have a problem with this, please skip this chapter.

Chapter 6: Sunday Morning

**Beep**

**Beep**

**Beep**

**Beep**

A sleepy Jesse Cardoza reached over to his nightstand, feeling for his alarm clock, desperate to stop the annoying beep. It was 9:30 on a Sunday morning and Jesse was waking up to attend church at 1st Baptist Friendship Church, Telia's church. Friendship Church was one of the oldest predominantly African-American churches in Miami. During the time of the Civil Rights Movement, they joined forces with a predominantly Caucasian church by the name of 1st Baptist Friendship. The common goal was to get black people, as they were called then, registered to vote.

Both churches received heartache for their efforts; had crosses burned in the grassy areas surrounding each location. A few weeks after that, the churches were firebombed. 1st Baptist Friendship was completely destroyed. Friendship Church only sustained damage to the roof. The church did the only thing they could do and welcomed their friends to worship with them. After a few months 1st Baptist Friendship's pastor Rev. Taylor and his congregation realized that there was no way to rebuild their church, the building or the congregation. Some of the members had left when the church body decided to help register black people to vote. Some others left after the bombing.

So they talked with Friendship Church and Pastor Todd and asked if they could join the two churches together. They were on a common goal before, why couldn't it continue? Each had Ministers, Deacons, Ushers, Children's ministry, and choirs. The two churches met and decided they should. It was a great way to show the citizens of Miami how to live in harmony under God's rule of love and racial turmoil of the south. 1st Baptist sold their property and combined the money with the other church to help expend the now growing congregation. It took a while to integrate the separate bylaws of each church to one document. It took while for the choirs to blend their voices and music together. The two Pastors became Co-Pastors. Together they re-ordained all of the Deacons and Associate Ministers. After about two years, the church had finally developed on paper and record what they felt in their hearts. So they became 1st Baptist Friendship Church.

As he was driving her home, he asked if she wanted him to come to church with her just to prove to her mom that she did meet someone and that they did go on a date.

"Oh, Jesse you don't have to do that for me."

"I don't mind. Besides, I'm still looking for a church to feel comfortable in. The church I grew up in is so different now. I guess my parents still are ok with it. Maybe I'll find what I'm looking for there."

"Maybe so." Telia replied. She gave him the history of the church. She knew some of her non-African-American friends had problems thinking about coming to her church until she explained that there were at least 15-20 people who looked just like them. There were Caucasian, Asians, Native Americans, people of Arabic origins, Latinos, Indians, everyone. It had grown to over 3,000 members. It had a thriving college ministry with several of the colleges in Miami. Students without cars were able to get to church and feel at home. There was even a separate special afternoon service for those who liked to party on Saturday night and couldn't wake up early enough for 11 a.m. service. Before Jesse left, Telia made sure he had the address and directions. She also made sure he knew to get there early. They were still building their new parking garage and parking would be tight the closer it was to 11.

Jesse got up, showered and found a suit, shirt and tie to wear. He didn't usually eat breakfast before church. His home church seemed to get out as soon as it started. He didn't know how long this service would last. After breakfast, he dressed, found his Bible, directions and was off. As he arrived, he found out Telia wasn't kidding about the parking. He found a spot in a lot across from the church. They had their own security guards directing traffic. If you were not a member of this church, it would be utter nonsense to try and drive down the street to get to your destination. Insanity even.

As he neared the entrance of the church, people were greeting him and welcoming him to the church services. It seemed as if they knew he was a visitor. _There are over 3,000 people here, how could they know I'm not one of them? _he thought. Maybe it was the dazed look in his eyes. There were so many people it looked like they were filing in to see the Miami Heat play.

Maybe his Bible looked too new, like it hadn't been used much. Or at all. They would be partly right. In L.A., he and Tracy were in a steady Bible Study class so he read and studied his Bible a few days a week. After she died, he found it difficult to even look at it. It was the one she had given him for their first anniversary, the paper gift. Well, paper bound in leather. He liked it more than the one he had from his adolescence that his grandparents had given him for his 16th birthday. The words "Holy Bible" had been worn off the front. Many pages inside had been dog-eared, written on and highlighted from studying and sermon notes. But he felt he couldn't use it. So his parents bought him a new one for Christmas the year she died. They didn't put any special dedication in it. They just wanted him to use it.

As he stepped into the narthex of the church, a tall African-American usher with a nametag that said Usher T.C. James greeted him. _T.C. James, where have I seen that before?_ he asked himself. _Telia's text messages. Her signature says tcjames. I wonder if they are related._

"Good Morning and Welcome to 1st Baptist Friendship Church."

"Thank you." Jesse replied.

"We love the fact that God ordained it for you to worship with us today. If you would be so kind, please fill out this visitor's card for us. We want to keep in touch with if you are in need of spiritual guidance." He handed Jesse a card. "Please sit wherever you like. If there is anything you need, please signal one of us with a wave and we will do out best to assist you."

"Thanks. I knew there were a lot of members in this church but seeing them all together is overwhelming."

"Oh, this isn't everyone. We had about 800 at our 8 a.m. service this morning. There will be about 350 at our college service this afternoon and another 300 at 6 p.m."

"Wow. Lot's of people." Jesse looked at his nametag again. "I noticed that you have the same initials of the person who invited me. Do you know Telia James?" The usher gave him a strange look.

"Yes, Telia is my twin sister. How do you know her?" He asked, suspiciously.

"I met her last week and we went on a date yesterday. She invited me to church." The usher gave him an approving look.

"I'm Tyler," he said, holding out his hand to shake Jesse's.

"Jesse Cardoza" They shook hands.

"Telia mentioned this morning she invited someone to church. Thank you for accepting. You just might be saving her from our mother today."

"Yeah, I heard. She doesn't want to meet Dale at all."

"So you know his name?"

"She was talking to your mother when I arrived to pick her up yesterday morning." Just then, he heard what sounded like Telia's voice coming into the narthex area. She was surrounding by teenage girls, all bubbly and happy.

"Here she is now." Tyler said.

"Ty, do you know if Jesse is here yet?" She asked her brother. She couldn't see Jesse from her side view, plus she was looking at her phone. "I was trying to call and make sure he didn't get lost, but his phone must be off."

"I didn't." Jesse replied. She looked up and smiled.

"Well, Good Morning." She leaned up to kiss his cheek.

"Good Morning to you too." He intended to peck her cheek but accidently pecked her lips instead. This happy unexpected accident caused the gaggle of teens behind them to giggle. He blushed at the accident. "Oops, I'm sorry." She smiled.

"Don't worry about it." She turned to the teens. "Come on, ladies. Don't you have somewhere to be before service starts?" They replied in a unison "yes ma'am" and giggled off to their destination, whispering "Ms. Telia's got a boyfriend…he's soo cute". Telia shook her head at them. "Don't know what got into them. They aren't usually like that."

"It's ok. They're teens."

"So you met my twin Tyler?"

"Yes he greeted me when I came in."

"Better him than our mother."

"Is she an usher too?"

"Yes." They both replied. "Li-li, you better go in and find a seat before she finds you." She took Jesse's arm and they entered the sanctuary.

"Do you usually have a special place to sit?"

"Yeah, it's over here." She pointed to a section towards the middle isle. "I like to sit here so I can see the dance ministry better when I'm not dancing."

"Why aren't you dancing today?"

"It's the men's day."

"The men praise dance here?"

"Oh yes and it is an awesome thing to see them praise the Lord with all their heart and mean it." Jesse was beginning to feel like it really was ordained for him to be there that day. As they moved toward the middle of the pew, they heard a voice saying…

"Oh Dale, there she is."

"Oh, help Jesus. She found us." Jesse looked up to see who he assumed was Telia's mother. She had aged well. Now he had an idea of what Telia would possibly look like in 30 or 40 years.

"Telia darling, Good Morning."

"Morning, mama."

"Listen, this is Dale Webster, the young man I told you about yesterday."

"Good Morning, Ms. James." He said holding out his hand for her to shake. She shook his hand and responded.

"Dale is Christine's son and he's going to be moving to Miami in a few weeks for his new job as a _doctor_. Chrissy and I thought it would a good idea for you two to become friends." Telia gave her mother the I-see-you're-being-sneaky smile and nod. Her mother responded with her don't-embarrass-me-smile "Dale you can sit next to her and get acquainted before service. I've got to get to my post." Nita James turned to leave.

"Oh mama, before you go I want you to meet Jesse." Her mother stopped in her tracks as Telia gave her mother her best consider-yourself-embarrassed smile. "He's the gentleman I met earlier this week. He's the one I was waiting for while we were talking yesterday morning." Jesse stood and put his hand out to greet her.

"Mrs. James, I'm Jesse Cardoza. Pleasure to meet you." She tried really hard to swallow the bad, bitter remark that wanted to be heard.

"Jesse." She replied, shook his hand while forcing a smile. She turned in a huff and walked to her post to usher.

"Well, this is going to be interesting." Dale said.

"You have no idea." Telia replied.

"I don't think she liked that I was here."

"That's because she didn't believe me." She said to Jesse. Then she turned to Dale. "We seem to have some friends in common, Dale."

"We do? I didn't know that. Who are they?"

"Narotu Morimoto, Greg Summers and Giovanni Sabatini." Dale thought for a second as she said the names and then his eyes seemed a big as baseballs as he realized the names she mentioned. Jesse looked confused. Dale stammered in shock and asked how she knew them.

"Gio and I were housemates when we interned at the Bellagio. Greg was my graduate teaching assistant at University of Miami and Mori was my sushi instructor at Le Cordon Bleu." She gave him sly smile, hoping that he got the point that there was no way they could be a couple. She knew three of his last five boyfriends. He was now embarrassed that she knew and was about to get up and leave. "You don't have to leave. I hope you came to church for more than just meeting me." He sighed. She patted his knee. "Obviously your mom doesn't know, or chooses to ignore it. It's ok. We're in God's house and we can pray about that. We can still be friends. I may have someone I can introduce _you_ to." Dale leaned in closer and whispered.

"Oh my God. How did you _know_?"

"They all had a picture. I saw Greg's first; it was in his office. I recognized you when I saw the others." Jesse now understood what Telia meant yesterday when she said she knew about Dale. The musicians and the choir had entered the choir stand. The praise leader and the men's dance ministry had taken their places in the sanctuary. Service was about to begin.

Jesse was impressed with the church service. It was certainly different from what he was used to. His home church didn't have a dance ministry, let alone four. The men dancing were not feminine dancers. They were dancing with the strength of mighty warriors in a tribal dance. When the song lyrics stated to "Stomp on the devil's head", they really stomped! The choirs at the home church didn't sing contemporary Gospel or Christian music. It certainly wasn't as big as this church; 300 people at the most. There were that many at one service. He made a note to check out the Bible Study classes.

There weren't many times that Jesse had felt at complete peace since he had been back to Miami. This would be one for the list. He felt like everything was right, that he was exactly where he was supposed to be. No matter what had happened to Tracy or anything involving his career or family, he felt at peace. For once, Jesse felt like he could be open to whatever God had for him. It had been a long time since he let go and let God. Today would be a good day to start.

He was hesitant to go up to the alter area for prayer, but he decided that he if was going to let God guide him, he should start there. The Associate Ministers were praying for and with each individual person who knelt at the prayer rail. An older gentleman was in front of Jesse and he helped the man up after the minister had finished praying with him. He could tell arthritis was doing a real number on his knees. It was Jesse's turn.

"Is there anything in particular that you seek from God today, my brother?" Asked the minister. He couldn't have been much older than Jesse. He sighed.

"There's been so much that had changed in my life the last few years and I guess I need a little guidance. I need to be more open to what God has for me." The minister nodded and closed his eyes for a minute. The Holy Spirit was talking with him. He placed one hand on Jesse's shoulder, the other on his head.

"Let's pray." Jesse closed his eyes and prayed along with the minister. After they said "amen", the minister had a message for Jesse. "The Holy Spirit had given me a message before we began to pray. Rely on God to help you through the heartache. There is no better comfort than the Lord's. Allow God to restore you. Allow Him to show you what He wants to bring you to. The Holy Spirit keeps saying for you to rely on the Lord. I don't know the specifics on what you're going through or will go through, but rely on God, whatever it is. Meditate on the first six verses of Proverbs chapter 3." Jesse nodded, thanked the minister and made his way back to the pew. When he got back to his seat, he wrote the scripture on his program and placed it back in the Bible.

Church ended and Telia was hugging and waving at people that she hadn't seen all week. Her parents made their way over, to see how things had gone with Dale and to make sure she was coming over for dinner. Dale's parents would be there. Telia introduced Jesse to Clark, her dad and her oldest sister Tiffany and her family.

"Auntie, are you coming over to grandma and grandpa's for dinner? _Please_ say you are." Her 14-year-old niece asked.

"I didn't know they we were having family dinner today. I made plans to have dinner with Jesse."

"It's ok Telia. I don't mind if you spend the day with your family." She turned to him and whispered.

"I'm not going over there today. I have no intentions of being trapped by my mother."

"Aww, come on Auntie Li-li. Please? Please?"

"Penny baby, there are some grown up things going on that you don't understand yet. And when you're closer to 16, I promise to start educating you on it, ok? Maybe next week?" Penny pouted and mumbled ok under her breath. Nita James was not happy when she head that Telia wasn't coming.

"The purpose of the dinner is to get you acquainted with Dale's family."

"Mama, you forget that I am an adult and I know what I'm doing. I made plans yesterday to have dinner with Jesse. You shouldn't have made plans _for me_ without _consulting me_ first. You can't conveniently hook me up with someone without knowing if I may have feelings for someone else." Her mother was about to protest but Telia spoke first. "Now, if I can invite Jesse to dinner then I will be there." Her mother gave her an irritated look. "Yeah, I didn't think so."

"But you don't even know Dale."

"I doesn't matter mama. I know enough about Dale to know that all we can ever be is friends. And he and I are both satisfied with that. Now if you and his mother can be satisfied with it, we'll all get along." Her mother sighed heavily, pulled her husband's arm and pulled him out of the sanctuary.

"Really, Telia. I don't mind if you need to go to your parent's house."

"It's not necessary Jesse. Maybe Dale can get to know Tyler instead." She insisted. Jesse shrugged his shoulders in surrender. She then turned to Dale. "We can still be friends. Does your phone have Bluetooth or beaming capabilities?"

"Yes it does." He replied, pulling out his BlackBerry.

"Good, here is my contact info." She synced her phone to his and beamed her information to his phone. "Call me when you get back in town and we can talk then. Oh and when you meet my twin brother Tyler, take him to the side and tell him **I said** to hurry up, pick a date to spill it so a double date can be arranged."

"Pick a date to spill it so a double date can be arranged." Telia nodded. "And he'll know what you mean?" Jesse laughed a little.

"He'd better know what I mean."

"Ok. I'll do it. It was nice meeting you Jesse."

"Same here Dale." They shook hands again and Dale left to find his parents. Telia turned to Jesse.

"So did you decide dinner still at your place?"

"Unless you've changed your mind." She shook her head.

"So where did you park?"

"In the lot across this way."

"Ok, I'll wait at the corner of Booker and follow you home?"

"Ok." They walked towards the narthex and she waved and gave a sly smile to her brother.

"She's up to something." He said to their sister Tiffany. "I just know it."

"You twins are something else. I'm glad I was born by myself."

The parking lots were about half full and neither had problems getting out. She was waiting at the corner and followed Jesse's Porsche to his house. He bought the home from the sale of the artworks and the house his Uncle Dan left him and Tracy. Choosing a foreclosed home, he had plenty of money to spare. Since it had been recently foreclosed, there was no damage to the home and it was extremely clean.

Jesse's home had the typical bachelor pad colors- dark browns, beiges, various shades of tans and blahs. But it was neat and didn't smell of dirty socks, beer and old pizza boxes. This was definitely a family home. The living room was large; the dining room table looked like it sat 20 people. The family room was huge. There was enough room for a pool table. There was a breakfast nook besides the kitchen, which wasn't small either. The stainless steel appliances made the yellow room seem even brighter. There were three bedrooms and two baths upstairs. His master bedroom- complete with ensuite master bath was behind the kitchen. A study and a half bath were also downstairs off the hall from the living room. Telia was renting a condo. She wasn't ready for the responsibilities of a house yet. She was going to wait a year after getting the diner up and running and revisit the idea again. She really like the layout of Jesse' house.

She explored the backyard while Jesse changed his clothes. It was a nice size, just perfect for children's play equipment and a medium sized pool. He had nice deck furniture and she imagined the sunset view would be amazing sitting there. It was weird but she could imagine herself living there. Why she didn't know. She had just met Jesse a few days ago. Hadn't even known him a while week yet. That's how comfortable she felt with him, about him. She wondered if he felt the same way.

His gentle voice brought her back to the backyard.

"I don't actually have an apron but I thought you could wear one of my old shirts so you wouldn't mess up your dress." She turned around and smiled.

"I actually did bring a change of clothes. I didn't know what you had planned when you said we could cook together."

"Ok, you can change in my room if you want and I'll get everything ready." He showed her his bedroom and he closed the door as he left. She took a minute to look around. Tiffany always told her younger sisters that you could tell a lot about a man if you could look in his bedroom. So Telia decided to snoop, just a little. She vowed to leave as little evidence as possible, just in case Jesse wanted to fingerprint his room after she left.

His closet was neat; his church attire, already hung up. The bed was made. The room didn't smell like dirty clothes. It smelled slightly of his cologne. _Maybe the hamper is in the bathroom. Here's an odd piece_, she thought. The TV "stand" was a little more than waist high, facing the bed. There was a long table attached to it, about knee nigh with the armoire on top of it. A safe was next too it. _Probably his gun safe_. All of the furniture was mahogany and beautiful. This room wasn't as blah as the others were. The walls were light blue, but not that annoying tuxedo powder blue. His bedding was in shades of blue, like her dining room.

The door to the armoire was open a little and she decided to look. She wrapped her skirt around her finger and opened the door a little further, paying attention to how it looked at first. CSIs were trained to notice things out of place. Inside on the top shelf, she could see Jesse's wallet, the change from his pocket, and a tray with cologne bottles. There was a smaller tray with his watch and a few rings on it- a police academy ring, a college class ring and a shiny wedding set. Two gold bands and an emerald cut diamond ring with a gold band. Tracy's engagement ring was breathtaking. _Wow, it looks like it cost a fortune! _Right behind it was their wedding picture. He was incredibly handsome, his dimples so pronounced with his smile.

Most guys, have a type. They prefer blondes, brunette, redheads, tall, short, long hair, etc. She looked nothing like Tracy. Tracy looked a little taller than Telia, about 5'8. She had shoulder length blonde hair that was flipped at the ends underneath her veil. She looked like a natural blonde at that. Her eyes were green, bright green. Telia's were very chocolate brown. Tracy had a nice tan, but not too tan. Her fingers were slim and her nails naturally long. Well, there was one thing they had in common- long nails. She had a gorgeous smile. It was probably what attracted Jesse in the first place. The picture was beautiful not because of the day it was; it was beautiful because of love. Maybe she would find that with Jesse herself. She couldn't help but wonder what made him change his type. Not that she minded, just wondered. She closed the door back to the nearest position she could guess it was in, changed her clothes quickly and walked into the kitchen with her flip-flops.


	8. The turning point

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any characters from CSI: Miami (dead or alive).

**A/N:** Time for more Jesse and Telia. I apologize for the long wait. I hope this will make up for it.

Chapter 6: The turning point

Jesse's day started earlier than he wanted. Horatio called the team in about four hours before their day normally started. He made sure to stop by a gas station for coffee. He wanted his remaining hours of sleep. He had been out late helping Telia with the last details of her diner. She decided to change the name from the Chow Down to Willie Red's Two. It only seemed fair to name if after the man who had given her, her start.

Everything was finally painted and clean. All of her tables, chairs and booths had finally come in- after the company lost the invoice. She had tested her appliances and had to send back a stove, a refrigerator and the refrigerated pie case. Finally, everything was in place and she was ready for her grand opening. Fliers and coupons had been passed out. The TV and radio commercials were airing. Telia was nervous, but she was ready.

After the team had spent the morning in the field, they were anxious to get back, log their evidence and find some food.

"Dude I'm _**so**_ glad Telia's opening the diner today!" Walter said. "I'm starving."

"I agree. Early start days are not fun." Eric replied.

"Wonder how business is today?" Jesse asked. "I was helping her with finishing touches last night."

"Ah, that probably explains the bags under your eyes." Ryan said.

"That definitely explains the bags under my eyes." Jesse replied. They headed to the parking lot to walk across the street to the diner.

"Oh my God, I can smell the grilled onions from here." Calleigh stated as they stood at the crosswalk.

Upon entering the restaurant, they could see that business was going very well for the grand opening and still breakfast hours at that. There were very few tables left and there were lucky to grab one. Jesse smiled as he saw Telia move from table to table, greeting customers, taking orders, delivering orders. She was definitely in her element.

"Hey I didn't expect to see you guys until later." He said as he kissed Jesse's forehead.

"Yeah, we got called in early today." Jesse said. "This place is packed."

"I know. And it's only breakfast! You guys know what you want to order?"

"I'm thinking tall stack and bacon." Walter said.

"Sounds good. Make it two." Eric said.

"Waffle and sausage for me." Ryan said.

"Give me the works." Jesse said.

"Two eggs, biscuits, bacon and gravy." Calleigh said.

"Brown, white or southern?"

"Ooo, I don't know. Let's try southern. And coffee."

"Coffee is always on the house. Especially for law enforcement." Telia said.

"Free coffee 24 hours? Yea, this is going to be my favorite spot." Walter said.

"It's not Starbucks but it'll keep ya going." She filled their coffee cups and left to turn in their orders.

* * *

The team ate their breakfast and headed back to work, full and happy. The rest of the day dragged on for Jesse. He was anxious to see how Telia's day was going but he knew she wouldn't be able to answer his call right away because she was so busy. But he called and left her an encouraging message so whenever she got it, she would know that he was thinking of her.

Things were going well between them. Jesse was beginning to have deep feelings for her. And he felt she was having the same feelings for him. He loved the time they spent together. He loved the dancing lessons. Jesse was so impressed with himself at how well he had progressed. The dancing seemed so much easier now.

This was his first real attempt at a relationship since Tracy. He didn't want to rush things; he wanted to be sure of his feelings. Jesse hoped Telia didn't think he was moving too slow. It didn't seem that way when they kissed. Telia's kisses were the sweetest he had tasted in a long time. Sometimes they would just melt into each other's arms.

Jesse was taking break and thought about the evening they were sitting in the backseat of his Porsche at the beach. They were supposed to go to the movies a few days before and he had to cancel because of work. Therefore, he came up with a unique idea. He ran into a childhood friend who had a private beach behind his house. Jesse brought along popcorn, drinks and Telia's favorite candy- Twix, Reese's Pieces and Raisinets. He hooked up his portable DVD player and played it though the car stereo. They climbed in the backseat to have their own personal drive-in theater experience. The movie wasn't as interesting as they thought and turned their attentions to each other before the middle of the movie.

The kisses began as quick, sweet little pecks and transformed to slow, sensual and passionate expressions. Telia's hand found its way underneath Jesse's shirt, resting on his abs. Her leg came to rest over his leg and he gently began to caress it. As their kissing progressed, so did his hand under her dress. She moaned softly as his lips travelled to her neck. He smiled as he found the spot that made her melt into his arms.

Jesse hadn't realized that Telia had unbuttoned his shirt until he felt her tongue make his nipple hard as a diamond. He opened his eyes to see her beautiful full lips smiling at his reaction. She made her way across his chest to the other nipple and he felt as if he were at her mercy. Her hand moved down to his legs and then between them which caused a different type of reaction. His back arched and hips bucked at the feel.

"Mmm...you're dangerous with your hands you know?" He said.

"Yes, lethal weapons in and out of the kitchen." She replied as she kissed him. "So you like that huh?" He nodded. "Let me do it again." And she did, causing the same reaction.

"Telia, if you keep this up we'll both end up naked back here."

"Funny you should say that, 'cause I was thinking the exact same thing." She said as she pulled up the bottom of her dress and carefully straddled Jesse's lap. His eyes immediately met her breasts as she ran her fingers through his hair.

"You are so sexy." Jesse tenderly caressed her nipples through her dress with his fingers and listened to her breath catch in her throat. Telia's back arched, thrusting her breasts even closer to his face. His hands travelled up her legs caressing the back of them and feeling her body respond to them. She placed her hands on both sides of his face and passionately kissed him. "Mmmmm…." He moaned.

Jesse's hand travelled to between Telia's legs. He felt the wetness of her panties and he smiled. The look in her eyes let him know that she knew exactly what he was thinking. At that moment, Jesse was glad that candy and popcorn weren't the only things he bought. He didn't expect anything to happen but he wanted to be prepared. He slipped two fingers inside her panties and soon found them as wet as she was. He felt her body shudder as he brushed against her clit. Telia whimpered and arched her back in response.

His smile got even bigger as she began to remove her panties. They both wanted the same thing but there wasn't really enough room for oral sex but there was something else they could do. He had her reach into the bag and pull out the condoms. He had unbuttoned his jeans, sliding them and his boxers down to his ankles, with her help. Telia was all smiles; she definitely liked what she saw. Jesse's manhood bounced freely, hard and ready to feel Telia's tight wetness all over it. He rolled the protection on just in time for her to slide onto his waiting penis.

Jesse was thankful for good brakes and shocks on his car. Their bodies undulated like the waves in the ocean. Telia had never felt her body release like it was releasing at that moment. There was no one around for miles but the two of them. Jesse had been craving that type of intimacy for so long. He missed that part of relationships the most- the intimacy.

Walter's voice brought Jesse out of his memory. Their results were back and they were headed out to round up their suspects. Jesse would have to out his pleasant memories on hold for a little while. A few hours later, his mind drifted again while waiting for the uniforms to transport an eyewitness who had been arrested in another county on a totally separate crime. This time it was the night a few weeks before at his house. Dinner had been made and finished. Jesse and Telia were slow dancing in the living room and they just could keep their hands to themselves. Before they realized what was going on, they were inside his bedroom, falling into the bed. Their one night in the car left them craving each other. And now they had plenty of room to do exactly what their bodies felt.

Telia slowly undressed for Jesse, increasing his desire for her. He could barely keep his hands and lips off her. When she tried to undress him, he wouldn't let her. He had other things in mind, such as tasting her. Within minutes, she was writhing on the bed moaning his name and grabbing his hair as his head was buried between her legs. Breathless, dripping wet and quasi-satiated, she enjoying tasting herself on his lips by kissing him. So did he. That night was more than just about sex and cravings for Jesse. That night he felt complete and real again. He felt like he was exactly where he was supposed to be.

* * *

Weeks had past and Telia was having a great time at her restaurant. She was loving every minute of it. The customers were so happy see their favorite dishes back on the menu. The TV and radio commercials were a huge hit. The coffee was an even bigger hit with the cops. The Starbucks that wasn't far from the police complex was definitely seeing a change in their customers; all the cops were going where the free coffee was. Everything was finally running as smoothly as she wanted and Telia was almost ready to leave the diner in the capable hands of the staff she hired.

One Saturday afternoon Willie Red's Two had a customer that would change Telia's life.

"How's business today?" Eric asked.

"Just slowing down a bit from lunch. How's the crime business?"

"Never stops. But I'm off today so they are doing it without me. I came to have a great meal."

"Well, sit where you like and I'll get you a menu." Eric chose a table and sat. When she handed him the menu he asked her to sit with him.

"I'd love some company, that is if you can take a break." Telia thought it was strange that Eric was asking her to join him. However, if getting to know Jesse better required getting to know his friends and co-workers then why not? She shrugged.

"Sure." Eric made his order and about 15 minutes later Telia brought both orders to the table.

"Ah, this looks and smells awesome." Eric said of his smothered pork chops and onion rings.

"I should hope so. These onion rings are more popular than they ever were before. We almost ran out of onions the other day. So when we order the produce now, we're ordering more onions."

"I must say, you really seem like you're in you're element here."

"I love food, what can I say? I won't give up teaching though. I love it just as much."

"I thought about teaching once. I really couldn't see me being in a classroom though."

"I didn't either because when you think of teachers, it always kids and high schoolers. But college and grad students are a whole different ball game." She took a sip of her tea.

"What would I teach?"

"You could teach what you know, being a CSI. Have you ever seen CSIs and lab personnel who seemed like they didn't have a clue?" Eric nodded as he munched on onion rings. "I have a friend who was teaching at a high school and she hated the curriculum. She felt it was lacking so much. Charli was fed up, went back to school, got her doctorate and presented a new program to the school system. Now she's in charge of the school system. She makes sure there are better teachers."

"Something to think about near retirement time."

"Yeah. So you like working with Jesse?"

"It's ok. I missed working with him the first time he was here. I was hired shortly after he moved to California. Then he came back during the time I was working with the FBI. We get the cases solved. We learn a lot from each other as well."

They continued their conversation with Telia learning more about the team, albeit from Eric's perspective. But she found out that they were more than a family, especially he and Horatio being brother-in-laws and all. He told her about the culture of the police complex and what to expect. For the most part, it was a great conversation and an enjoyable meal. Little did she know that a small part of their chat would change her life forever. If there had been a physic in the diner, he/she would surely have told Telia to let Eric eat alone.

The next day after church, Jesse decided that a picnic in the park would be a great idea for them. It was a pleasant day, not too much sun. The breeze was nice and they enjoyed each other's company. Telia seemed to be preoccupied with her thoughts and she tried to hide it from Jesse. She didn't seem to be too good at it.

"Jesse, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, anything."

"How would you classify what we have, what we are?" He looked at her.

"I'm not sure I understand."

"What would you call us? We aren't exactly in a relationship but we have been intimate."

"Yes, very intimate. And I've loved every single minute of it."

"So have I. So that leads me to ask, are we seriously dating then?"

"Rather than casually dating?" She nodded. "I guess so. Why?" She paused and took a deep breath.

"Yesterday I had someone ask me if we were in a relationship or seriously dating."

"Why did he ask that?"

"Because he asked me out."

"On a date?"

"Yes. On a date." Jesse was shocked. He didn't know how to respond.

"I'm not sure what to day."

"Well, if we were in a relationship, we would be considered boyfriend and girlfriend. And I couldn't go on a date; I can't see either of us wanting to be in an open relationship."

"Neither can I."

"But if you and I are just _dating_, not in a _relationship_ then _technically _I could go on the date." Jesse was now starting to regret taking his time. But he wanted to be sure of this relationship. So now what?

"What would you do?"

"He suggested dinner and dancing."

"Do you even know this guy?"

"Not well. But I've met him before." Telia was getting nervous and twisting her hands.

"Where?"

"The function at the Sierra Center."

"Our first date?" She nodded her response. "Do I know him?"

"Yeah, you do."

"Who is he?"

"Eric."

"Delko?" Telia nodded. "_Delko?_ Eric Delko asked you out on a date?"

"He came in the diner yesterday and asked if I would join him for lunch. I thought it would be a good thing to get to know your friends and co-workers better so I did. I had no idea he would ask me out."

"What did you tell him?"

"That I needed to think about it and that I would get back to him. That's why I asked you how to you define what we have together."

"Delko? My god what was he **thinking**? Was he even thinking?"

"He mentioned how he liked dancing with me and he thought I might like the chance to dance in an advanced class one night."

"This is not about dancing Telia. Do you know anything about his dating history? He and Calleigh have broken up and gotten back together more times than I care to count."

"But this doesn't involve Calleigh. It's one date. And I haven't given him a decision yet. If you're uncomfortable with the idea, I'll tell him that I'm not interested."

"But are you interested?"

"I don't know. It might be nice to go to the advanced class one night." Jesse paused and asked Telia something.

"If I ask you to be my girlfriend right here, right now, would you say yes?"

"Yes." She replied eagerly. "But I know you're not ready to."

"I could be."

"Not enough just for this." Telia said gently touching his cheek. He was quiet in his thoughts.

"Just one date right?"

"Yeah, just dinner and dancing. That's all. I still want to explore things with you." Telia said as she held Jesse's hand. He had a bad feeling about this; it was worse than the worst. But it was just one date. Dinner and dancing. And the next day he would ask her to be his girlfriend so this wouldn't happen again.

_**No dumb ass! Ask her now so she can't go out with Delko. **_That was the voice in Jesse's head. He trusted Telia with his thoughts when they talked. He trusted her with his body when they were intimate. Why shouldn't he trust her with this?

"Ok. One date. Dinner, dancing, and the next day we will be together. A couple." Telia smiled but Jesse felt regret at the words as soon as they left his mouth.

"Absolutely." She replied and kissed him.


End file.
